The Incinerator
by Writer207
Summary: My name is Kenny Gordon. Do you know who I am? No? It's okay - in the end, I didn't know either. In fact, I still don't know. But there's one thing I know for sure: I'm the Incinerator and things are going to change, for the better or the worse. (T to be safe)
1. Snowstorm

**Hey guys! Welcome to my newest short story.** **If everything goes according to plan, this story will count around seven-eight chapters. Also, I should probably tell you it's about my OC, but I promise he'll see a familiar face every new chapter. This story starts right before "Lair, Lair" and that's all, I guess. All I can do now is hoping you'll enjoy the story. Also, Merry Christmas!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon. When I turned eighteen, I got into trouble real soon. I would've gone to prison if it weren't for my savior and mentor, Machine. She taught me everything I needed to know and now I'm one of the few Normo villains. With Machine and her crew, I'm wreaking havoc throughout Philadelphia and I'm having the time of my life. Love and lust come do interfere with my life, but I don't mind. I'm the human flamethrower. I am the Incinerator._

* * *

Stupid cops. They had no idea who they were dealing with. They reached out for their guns and shot in my direction. I ducked behind the counter. An old man was sitting next to me, terrified of me and what I've done since I arrived. The bullets flew over my head, missing me with one or two inches. Man, I disliked those guys. Arrogant men who thought they could stop me. Too bad my natural enemies will make them forget the lesson I'm about to teach them.

I grabbed the old man and held him in front of me. He couldn't escape – I made that clear. "You run and I turn you into a pile of ashes." He trembled a lot, but he did follow my commands. We stepped forward until we had reached the front door, which was made out of glass until I broke it. From outside, I could hear several cops shout. "He's got a hostage!"

The old man moved his arms, as if he wanted to hold them up, to tell those cops not to shoot him. He couldn't – I wouldn't let him. The cops held their guns, safety off, ready to shoot me when they saw their chance. I almost laughed out loud. Those idiots did not have any chance of hurting me. My bulletproof armor underneath my suit would protect me from their projectiles. My fingers searched for the triggers close to my thumbs. To the outside world, it could look like I'm making fists for a short time.

I pushed the old man to the ground and pressed the buttons on my thumbs. From under my wrists, the small flamethrowers were activated. Soon, flames lit up the night and the cops were too surprised to react these first seconds. While they were distracted by my awesome invention, I got the time to kick their butts or push them on the ground. I opened my hands and the flames disappeared.

Two minutes later, I beat all the cops and reinforcements were on their way. This was the perfect moment to take the money and go. That's why I came in the first place: to steal some money. Even villains have to live, but we don't get paid. Why do you think we steal anything that's worth a lot?

I grabbed the bag and ran away. The superheroes would reach this place sooner or later, maybe sooner than I thought. They would interrogate the cops, then erase their memories of tonight. They would look at the footage and then they'd know I was the enemy of today. I wasn't afraid – I've fought them many times before – and all I wanted was to go home and be safe. For Bianca.

I turned to my right, into an abandoned alley. I parked my motorcycle here before I did what I'm good at, but I couldn't find it. Unbelievable. I was gone for fifteen minutes, how could someone have taken it? Then I remember it wasn't this alley, but the next one where I parked it. I was about to turn around when the sight of a familiar person stopped me. The pretty blonde with the blue lips and mask appeared from the shadows. I smiled.

"Hello, Snowstorm," I greeted one of my main enemies, "Nice to see you again." I put the bag on the ground. She was looking at it and I guessed she was going to bring it back to the bank I just robbed after trying to kick my butt. I leaned against the wall, towering over the bag. If she wanted the money, she had to pass me first.

"So it's you." she said, crossing her arms. I nodded and stepped a little closer to her. In the meantime, I looked at her to see if any improvements were made. So far, nothing has changed since the last time we spoke and fought, but she did look better than our last time.

"Yeah, it's me. The Incinerator, at your service." I took a bow, never breaking eyes contact with the hero. Looking away definitely meant you could lose the fight. Everyone can do something surprising when the enemy looked away. If she did, I would make her melt.

My hands were ready to go back to fighting and sending some fire in her direction. The buttons haven't been pushed for a second time. For now, the flamethrowers would still shoot flames when I wanted them to do it. They were hidden in the sleeves of my awesome fireproof suit, close to my wrists, and I controlled them with my thoughts. It could shoot long flames and quick destructive fireballs. One of the newest upgrades allowed them to shoot toxic flames and fireballs as well, which just was awesome. The buttons are there to make sure I don't accidentally hurt someone I care about. The best part is that it will look like I'm one of the supers myself. The only risk I'm taking is burning my hands. Those flamethrowers in combination with my awesome fighting skills are the most ultimate weapons anyone could ever fight with.

"Hand me the bag or I'll take it," Snowstorm warned me. I laughed and glanced at the bag. Nobody ever came in this alley. I had to be home in only an hour and I had no idea about Snowstorm's schedule.

That meant there was time for a talk between enemies.

"You look like you're in a hurry," I said, and Snowstorm glared at me. "I understand, you can't let Zero wait for you. Are you guys going on a date tonight?" It was one of the best public secrets. Snowstorm liked Absolute Zero, and Absolute Zero liked Snowstorm. For a long, long time, they denied ever being in love with someone. They always said their profession could endanger their loved ones. Everyone knew a beautiful relationship was blossoming - villain, hero and civilian alike. Everyone, except Snow and Zero themselves. I have no idea how their relationship was at this point, but Snowstorm's cheeks had gone from the natural pale color to red. Blushing did mean the hero was either embarrassed or that she now shared a romantic relationship with someone, presumably Zero. I'd encourage it any day. Everyone deserved someone to love, plights or not, risks or not.

"Did Machine sent you?" she then asked, avoiding the question. I shook my head and my smile faded away. _Machine…_ I shook my head again, this time to stop thinking about her.

"I have nothing to do with Machine anymore. I quit her crew weeks ago. We're through." When one relationship blossoms, another turns to ashes. As soon as I started seeing Bianca, I knew I had to choose between the two girls. I chose the civilian I wanted to protect from the villain. machine wasn't like Bianca and she didn't like that I was seeing another girl. Then I quit.

Don't get me wrong. Machine and I, we were never a thing. I just flirted with her and while she enjoyed the compliments I gave her, she always rejected me. I stayed for her and when I left and didn't come back, I guessed she realized she'd lost me. I haven't seen her these past few weeks, which I'm grateful for. Then again, there's a big chance she'll find me and then I don't know what she'll do to me.

I walked back to the bag and grabbed it. I wasn't in the mood to talk with her anymore. Besides, she couldn't let Zero wait and I couldn't let Bianca wait. I walked away from her, on my way to the next alley and my motorcycle. Unfortunately, Snowstorm wanted that bag of cash I wanted to take home with me and hide in the bushes. She ran to me and kicked me in the back of my knee.

I sank through my knees. Bulletproof, yes, but I still was vulnerable against any melee attacker. I dropped the bag, which Snowstorm took in her hands. I turned my head to her, eyes on the bag. She would bring my money back to the bank. That's so unfair! I needed that money. I extended my arm in her direction and shot her with one big flare which could even make me sweat. The red and yellow flames reached her and hit her in the back. She cried out in pain and fell on the ground. She stayed there longer than I had expected, which gave me time to get the money and get out of here. I stood up and limped towards the money bag. The place where she kicked me still hurt, but at least I was able to walk.

I kneeled and grabbed the bag. I swung it over my shoulder and was about to leave when I noticed that Snow still hadn't gotten up. This was too suspicious, so I stayed a little longer. Normally, she would have already kicked my butt and taken the money back to the bank. She's a fighter, I know it, so there's no way she'd give up out of free will. And the wound I gave her wasn't covered with a small layer of ice – she used to do that every time I burned her. It did help her, as I've never seen burn wounds.

"That's it?" I said, a little disappointed in her, "You're not gonna fight back?" She did move, luckily, though not that much. So far, she only turned her head and tried to look at me. Her lips moved – she was trying to tell me something. I had to come closer to her until I heard what she wanted to tell me.

"The Annihilator…" her voice was weak. She must've put most, if not all, of her energy into saying that one name. She did not move after saying this. I stayed and listened to her heartbeat, confirming she was still alive. I was left to wonder about why she would mention the big bad mutant nemesis of Skylar Storm.

Then it hit me. There have been rumors about him and his wicked ways of evilness. These rumors said the Annihilator liked to collect heroes' powers as throphies before killing them. Only half of the heroes he stole from were alive, including miss Storm herself. I guessed it meant my colleague also stole Snow's powers, and that she survived that attack.

I panicked. If she had lost her powers to the Annihilator and wasn't faking it, my invention had the potential to kill her. The fact that she was lying motionless at my feet proved my point. And without her freezing ability to heal her… oh no.

I killed a superhero. Well, she wasn't dead yet, but I feared that I had taken her life, maybe right after admitting her feelings for Zero. "I'm sorry," I muttered before turning around and walking towards the next alley. My motorcycle waited for me. I couldn't stop thinking about my nemesis. I shook my head. _You're a villain, Gordon,_ I told myself, _she's a hero. They'll pick her up soon._

I took a turn to the right and I sighed in relief when I saw my motorcycle. It was my only way of teleportation and maybe even my most prized possession. It's been with me for six years and I've really grown fond of it. It reminded me of better times before I got into this business. I could still imagine my baby brother sitting there, pretending to be driving it.

Unfortunately, Titanio blocked the way. I sighed and gave him my most annoyed look. I should've known someone else was coming for me. They wouldn't let a powerless hero run around the streets and fight crime on her own.

I'd come back for my motorcycle later. I turned around and was about to run away when Blue Tornado came walking into the alley. The tin can and the twister had trapped me in the middle. Stupid heroes. They came closer to me. I could already guess how this would end. We'd fight an unfair battle with two against one, which I'm bound to lose, and I'd have to go back to Mighty Max.

I wouldn't let that happen. I dropped the bag and placed it between my feet. Then I aimed at both heroes and large flames shot out of my weaponry. They were smart enough and stayed at a distance. The fire burned five seconds before I put it out.

"Stay back!" I yelled. If the tin can or the twister came closer, I wouldn't hesitate, "Don't waste time on me. In another alley, Snowstorm is dying. I'd hurry if I were you." I had to add that. I didn't want to run around feeling guilty about killing her. Being a villain was much more fun with a personal nemesis.

The twister made a mistake. He took one step in my direction and I reacted immediately. I extended both hands towards the hero in spandex and gave the silent command. The flames shot in his direction. He avoided the flares and lifted his hands, sending mini tornados in my direction. I sent some extra firepower in his direction.

I may or may not have gotten used to fighting one hero at a time, which was why I left my back unprotected. Then, something hit my neck. I lost my concentration and the flames stopped coming out of the flamethrowers. My hands reached the spot where something had stung me. I pulled a small cylinder out of my neck – it looked like a small blue dart.

Before I realized what was going on, I was having a hard time standing up. I stumbled forward and tried to get back up, but for some reason it was harder than it usually was. My senses were fading – I felt like I needed glasses and a hearing aid while my strength failed me. Why was it so hard to get up?

"What was that?" It was the twister who said that. Or the tin can. I couldn't tell because their voices seemed so far away. I had to concentrate to hear Titanio's (or Blue Tornado's) response.

"A new weapon for minor villains. That way, we'll have more time to fight the biggest threats." He said. At least, I think he said that. I wasn't really thinking straight at that point, fighting to stay awake. I already guessed where they would take me, but I didn't care about me. I'd break out of there in no time. No, I cared about my nemesis and Bianca. What would life be without those two women in my life? One made me feel at ease and the other one gave me a reason to do better than the last time.

I lost my concentration and I stopped fighting whatever one of the two men had given me. I would've lost the fight anyways, but I didn't want to be seen as a guy who gave up too soon. I still had a reputation to uphold.

My eyes closed and I accepted the darkness that surrounded me, knowing I would wake up in a high security prison, wondering whether Snowstorm made it.


	2. Titanio

**Hey there, guys! Here's the second chapter of Kenny's story. It's a bit longer than usual, but I'm not complaining. Also, happy new year! It won't be long before we're going into 2016, a new year filled with opportunities and everything else. And now, my responses to the reviews and then, the now chapter:**

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! At the beginning of "Lair, Lair" she was wheeled in and she was the reason they wanted to return to the Annihilator's lair. Horace also mentioned in the episode that the Incinerator did it to her. I wrote that down. It could be any brother, as he is one of the oldest. More information about Bianca will be revealed later._

 _PurpleNicole531: __You guessed right and she definitely will come back later, like other confirmed evil characters. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Thanks for reviewing! At first I was doubting whether I'd publish it here or not. Right now, I'm glad I did._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I screwed up big time. After pursuing and maybe killing Snowstorm on my own, some heroes tracked me down._ _I was ambushed when I was weak after fairly beating Snowstorm and now I have returned to Mighty Max. I've been there more than I can count and_ _I'm not worried. I'm the human flamethrower. I am the Incinerator._

* * *

I woke up on a cold, smooth surface. I didn't even have to open my eyes, or to be fully awake, to know I was back in Mighty Max. Nobody bothered me, so I concluded that I had gotten my personal cell. How thoughtful.

I liked Mighty Max because it was different from the prisons I had visited. First, Mighty Max was underground. There was one way in for the non-teleporters among us: the elevator to the Mighty Med. Instead of bars in a square cell, there were power cancelling force field in hexagonal cells. But what I liked most about Mighty Max, were the lack of cameras in the corridors and cells.

One of the biggest secrets I keep is that I'm a Normo. If anyone knew my secret, I'd lose my reputation. Heroes and villains might ridicule me, my old teammates would turn their backs to me. I'd only have Bianca, because she wouldn't know why I was feeling so lonely. Off course that would only make me stronger. That would make me prove this Normo is more than just a Normo with fancy flamethrowers.

But those were matters for the future. I had to stop thinking about that possible future and had to return to the present. No cameras meant nobody could see how I'd break out without endangering my secret.

I opened my eyes and saw the familiar grey of the cell ceiling. I turned my head and saw the open space where the force field was located. I got up and took a small controller in my hands. Fire needs fuel, so there was a kind of large, not that heavy tank on my back. My suit hid it and when completely filled, there was enough fuel for two to three standard fights. The controller showed me the tank still had 47 per cent of its capacity, more than enough to break out.

I put the controller back in my pocket and got ready to get myself out of the cell. They had no idea that, when you aim well, you can hit the control panels of the force field from the inside. The guards have always said their devices generate those force field. I don't disagree, but they would not work without something that would hold the force field into place. When that's destroyed, it's rather easy to escape.

Then, my eyes fell on the security camera in the corner. I stared at it and nodded. I thought these heroes and, to an extent, guards never learned. Now, they proved they indeed have learned. No problem. I'd take out the camera and then I'd escape without having to reveal that I'm a Normo. From that angle, they might see the flamethrower. They only would if they were to payclose attention to that tiny detail.

But before I would do something I regretted later, I reached out for it. It could be an illusion to keep me in check. I knew I had to check if it was a problem or not. And when I was about one inch away from it, my hand hit a small force field.

I shouted the worst swear words I knew. This was bad. I had to destroy that force field first before I could destroy that camera. If it was a real camera, they'd see me using my flamethrowers. Then they'd wonder how I could have defied that power-cancelling force field. The least I could use was that kind of attention.

That was it. I would not get out of there the usual way. Then it was time for plan B.

I walked towards the force field and tapped it. The loud tone broke the silence. I tried looking at the right and the left. I couldn't see far, but I knew there had to be a guard nearby.

"Hey!" I called out, "Guard guy! I know you're there. Say, come and give me a sandwich. I've just woken up and I don't know the time. I'm starving over here! I don't care when it's time to serve us another meal, so would you bring me a sandwich? Please?" No response. I should've known they wouldn't react to anything I say, to anything any villain said.

I sat down on what I would have to call my bed for an unknown amount of time. They weren't going to react. And after all those times I'd broken out of here in a 'mysterious' way, they were going to keep an extra eye on me. I was never going to get out of here.

Two guards appeared in front of my cell when I least expected them. I stood up and walked closer to the force field, ready to take the meal I thought they had taken with them. Then I noticed the special handcuffs I have never worn in my life. I realized I had to go out of my cell for something, hopefully dinner. Or lunch, or breakfast, depending on what time it was right now.

I extended my arms in their direction, wrists first, to show them I would not try to escape once the force field was down. I did not move and I let one of the guards handcuff me. It was not a pleasant feeling and then I promised myself I'd never let that happen to me ever again. The guy who handcuffed me held my arm and walked beside me while his colleague walked in front of us. Those handcuffs may cancel powers as well, so breaking out would be a problem. besides, this was the first time I ever wore them, so I had no idea how to unlock them.

"So, what's for dinner?" I asked them, trying to make a conversation. Even if I was in prison, I'd try to make myself at ease. The guard next to me shook his head, but the guard in front of me actually took the time to respond verbally.

"You've got a visitor." he said. I frowned and I would have stopped walking if his colleague hadn't been holding my arm.

"Since when do you allow visitors down here?" I wondered out loud, but this time they didn't answer my question. Not that I actually care about that, but it was rude not to answer a question. They lead me through the corridors until we were walking towards the elevator. This particular road lead us over an abyss. I glanced into it and I couldn't see the bottom. It was like a bottomless pit, except that there had to be a bottom somewhere.

I couldn't hide my surprise when they pushed me into the elevator. Normally, they'd try to keep me away from there. Once we've entered the elevator, one of the guards pushed the two buttons - one to go up, one to go down - simultaneously. As I wondered what that was supposed to mean, the doors slid closed and the small cabin started to go up.

Then the most boring minute in my life followed. I wanted to talk, but why talk when the guards weren't even going to talk back? I wanted to beat the guards with my flamethrowers, but then they'd know my secret. Besides, beating them didn't mean the handcuffs would be taken off. So I remained quiet and had to be content with imagining I fought them. I'd be more enthusiastic if it could happen in real life.

When we were about halfway there, the elevator stopped. I'm not gonna lie: I was surprised and maybe a tiny bit afraid. The guards expressed no emotion. The doors slid open and my surprise and confusion grew when I saw an empty hallway with at the end one door. Before I could react, the guards pushed me in. Only one of them escorted me to the end of the hallway. The other one waited inside the elevator.

The guard boy opened the door. Behind that door, there was a small room. No windows, one plain table with a folder laying on it and two different chairs. One was a simple wooden chair, the other was a reinforced iron chair. They may have designed it to keep supers in check during an interrogation. The air came in through a vent, with an opening too small to escape through. Currently, the tin can was sitting in the wooden chair - the iron chair was for me.

"Thank you," Titanio said, "I can handle it from here." The guard nodded and left. Now it was just me and Titanio. He looked in my direction. I crossed my arms in response and remained standing.

"Please, take a seat," Titanio said. I didn't respond. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I was sure that if I sat down, he might tie me to that chair. I already disliked the handcuffs, so I guessed I would use my flamethrowers to get out of the situation if that darned hero dared to do that. that wouldn't be the best move to make with my current situation.

"Do you know why you're here?" Titanio then asked, probably after realizing that I wouldn't sit down out of free will. Lucky for him, I was willing to answer that question. Plus, I needed to talk to someone. Not saying anything was something I didn't like at all.

"I suppose you're not going to release me after putting me here," I replied.

"That depends," he said and my eyes widened. Did he just imply that I might get out of prison? "It's about Snowstorm."

My heart skipped a beat. So that's what he wanted to talk about. I felt a lot of mixed emotions and eventually, I did sit down on the chair. Only because of the emotions. "Did she die?" I asked in a cautious manner, not looking at the tin can at all.

"She didn't," he responded and I turned my head in his direction. "In fact, two of the best doctors saved her life and restored her powers. She is completely healthy." I sighed in relief. She wasn't dead. I didn't kill anyone. She was okay.

"If she's okay, then what's the problem?" I wondered.

"We suspect that she's turned evil." Titanio said and he shoved the folder in my direction. I glanced at it and then tried to open it. Those darned handcuffs made even that simple action quite hard. Eventually I had opened the folder and read the classified information which definitely was not meant for my eyes. Unfortunately, he had made sure that some details were blotted out so I wouldn't get to know her real name, her address or her weaknesses. I knew all other information, such as her relationship status ("classified") and I got an honorary mention as her main nemesis. The most recent photo taken was one of today, I guessed. In this picture, she was signing off and ready to leave the hospital.

My eyes scanned the picture and studied every detail, like I always do when we meet. Normally nothing changes, but when she does change - like losing some pounds - I mention it. I never knew if she knew I meant it or not. And after seeing every pixel of the picture, my eyes drifted off to her fingernails. I looked at it a little longer before I noticed the small change.

"The snowflakes," I said, pointing at her fingernails, "They're white instead of the usual blue. Those snowflakes are her distinctive mark, right? I'm gonna have to confirm your theory. She's evil now." I pushed the folder back at Titanio, who took a closer look at it. He could probably see better without his mask, but the hero refused to take it off.

He had made me curious. I had no idea how Snow could have turned evil. I did know that when a distinctive mark turns white, the hero has turned evil. That was common knowledge. As Titanio watched, I wanted to know how this was possible. It couldn't have been me, which was all I knew.

"Why did you ask for me?" I asked, "Anyone could have told you she's become evil."

"You know her well," Titanio responded without looking up.

"But that's not all, right?" I continued. Titanio nodded and then looked up.

"She's not the only one who has turned evil. Other heroes who have become evil are Tecton, Alley Cat, Citadel and Scarlet Ace." I nodded. Okay then, evil superheroes. That's not a first. Heroes turn evil all the time. The main reasons were mind control and inducing amnesia to tell the heroes they were evil all along. Or they could become evil out of free will, that's happened as well.

"And what does that have to do with me?" I asked, "This is all about evil superheroes, and I've only fought Tecton of those four. Dude, this is your problem, not mine." I leaned back in the uncomfortable iron chair.

"Because we know who you are." I almost started to laugh. Was that why they took me here? That couldn't be all, right?

"Yes," I responded, "You know who I am. I'm the Incinerator. And I know who you are; you're Titanio. Congratulations!" The tin can audibly sighed and leaned a little closer.

"I mean, we know who you are, Kenny." My eyes widened when the tin can mentioned my name. a lot of questions popped up in my head. How did he know that? What else did he know? What about my family, friends, Bianca? How bad would it be if the superhero community knew my name? I wanted to ask all those questions at once, but none of them came out. I would get my chance to ask for answers. Now, it was time to show him two can play that game. Besides, there were two or three villains who were called Kenny. One of them was Kenneth, but Kenny was a common civilian villain name nowadays.

"So that's how you're gonna play it? Okay then, Mr. Tidwell, when will you be expecting me in your manor at Washington Avenue?" He didn't react. At least, I think he didn't. It was so hard to know what facial expression he made when he still was wearing that mask. He didn't respond for some seconds.

"I am not that pretentious billionaire," Titanio responded as I rolled my eyes. Liar! How much did it hurt to insult yourself? "But your name is Kenny Gordon. You're the second oldest of twelve siblings and you have a girlfriend named Bianca Summers." I shook my head in disbelief and my eyes widened again. So he did know who I was. Wait, how did he know that?

"Stalker," I said. I probably shouldn't have said that – it confirmed the tin can was right, "You spied on me." It meant not all heroes were goody two-shoes. Spying on their enemies in their free time. That's what I disliked to do. But when I had to, I could hardly find any information, and what I did know was what information I could buy from Wi-Fi. Titanio shook his head and placed his hands on the table.

"Not just you," he replied, "The League makes sure to keep an eye on every villain. You're one of the few who also maintains a normal life among Normos. We can offer your family and girlfriend protection." I shook my head. It's not right to spy on your enemies. It gives you an advantage, which is unfair for the one who doesn't know their enemies' secrets. I've always been the guy who likes a fair fight. That said, if I had known Snow had lost her powers, I wouldn't have attacked her like that.

Anyways, who did the guy think he was? The merciful leader of the League offering protection to my family and my girlfriend. It was noble, yes, but unusual and totally unnecessary.

"They don't need your protection." I said with a threatening tone. If I wasn't wearing handcuffs, I would've slammed my hand on the table to make a point. Titanio then stood up, towering over me. I watched his mask and he might have scared for one second. No longer. He wasn't the most special hero out there, anyway. I could easily take him. Then what was I waiting for?

"What if one of your friends finds out about them?" The tin can said, talking about my former teammates, "What will you do then? They can be held hostage, or drugged or worse. He could kill your parents, siblings and girlfriend. We offer protection against that kind of danger, but only if you agree to look after the heroes. We will also release you. You will have to go back if you continue to commit crimes after our agreement has ended. But before that has happened, you stay out of Mighty Max." My head hurt after hearing all that, including our entire conversation. This wasn't making any sense at all. Maybe we have trailed off way too far for me to understand what the tin can was trying to do.

"Wait, hold on." I said, "I can't follow anymore. What does all that have to do with me? What exactly is your plan? Why did you even bring me here? and what was that about releasing me?" Titanio audibly sighed again. I guessed he imagined this talk would be completely different then what was going on now. he had no choice but to start over, and I didn't mind. at least I'd know where he was going.

"Heroes are turning evil at an incredible speed," Titanio explained, "We have no idea how or why, but we do know we need someone to keep an eye on them. There's one problem: we don't know who exactly we can trust. For some heroes, it's hard to say who has become evil. Sometimes their distinctive marks are hidden by their costumes, like Tecton's. So we wanted to hire someone who could keep an eye on them." And now I knew what he was going to ask. They wanted me to keep an eye on those heroes. I knew heroes could be a little crazy, but not that they were that insane. They should know better than to ask me. I have a life; I don't have time to go visit every hero to ask them whether they're evil or not. It's an impossible task.

But the tin can did say he'd release me from Mighty Max. I wouldn't have to be here anymore, as long as I promised I'd go looking for those villainous heroes. I could go rob and steal and when Titanio came to ask what I was doing, I'd tell him I did it only to attract the heroes and those who came to stop me would still be good guys. Off course some could pretend to be good, but I wouldn't care. I'd be out there and be a bad guy who, in name of the league leader, committed crimes to find out who wasn't a traitor.

Perfect.

"So if I decide to go with your plan and to leave Mighty Max to help you find some evil heroes, you'll let me go?"

"Exactly. We will, off course, keep contact with you to see how you're doing. We're not just gonna let you go. I should mention this is a one-time offer. Are you in or out?" Titanio extended his hand and I didn't hesitate.

"We've got a deal," I said, bringing my hands closer to his so I could shake his. I put a grin on my face and tried to shake the big robot hand from his blue armor. I sighed. "Now we've got a deal, would you take these off of me? They're irritating me!" Titanio did as I demanded, but only when we both were standing in the elevator to Mighty Med. He didn't trust me one bit. He shouldn't. In this business, you could get yourself killed if you trust someone too much.


	3. Spark Plug and Silver Shield

**Happy 2016 everyone! May all your wishes come true! And here is the next chapter of the Incinerator, also the first update in 2016. I'm so excited for this chapter! We'll see if Kenny keeps his promise to help Titanio and we'll meet Bianca today! But before that, here are my responses for the reviews and then, the chapter:**

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Thanks for reviewing! We're going to meet Bianca soon. Off course Titanio wouldn't say Kaz works at Mighty Med - Kenny would take advantage of it._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Well, he certainly isn't going to talk to him as Henry Tidwell, it would give away his secret identity. And I love writing Kenny's inner thoughts. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I like to believe some heroes do, but not all. He always looks at the smaller details to see if something is wrong with his opponent or not. As mentioned before, he likes a fair fight. This chapter will be really exciting, too._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I made a deal with the tin can known as Titanio. I'm supposed to go undercover and figure out why heroes are turning evil. If I play my cards right, I won't have to go to Mighty Max ever again. Titanio doesn't seem to trust me, which is in my disadvantage, but I'll convince him somehow. I'm the human flamethrower. I am the Incinerator._

* * *

After Titanio released me, I changed into my civilian clothes once I reached my lair. I was supposed to share a lair with my former teammates. I did, but I had been using this lair for about two years, when I wanted control about the stuff I stole. I didn't want my teammates to steal what I've rightfully stolen in the first place. My own lair seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. Everything I needed was there, like tools, the big vault for the stuff I've stolen and two to five reserve suits. It happened before that I couldn't commit crimes because my suit had to be repaired. It takes a lot of time to make and to repair. Also a living area. This wasn't only my lair, but also my home. I gotta live somewhere, and my parents' house is not an option.

I left my lair as soon as I was wearing my civilian clothes and ready to hide myself in plain sight. After what happened and what the tin can told me, I needed a break, a moment of relaxation, without the stress of my hobby. I immediately decided to go visit Bianca. She lived about two blocks away, near my lair. That was completely coincidental, but quite handy. That meant I didn't have to go look for my motorcycle first and could go by foot.

After a short walk, I had reached the house she lived in. It was a plain sight and if I hadn't known she lived here, I would have never guessed she lived in this house. A normal house for a normal woman. Nobody would find her here, unless they knew her address.

I rang the doorbell. We were only dating for a couple of weeks, so I knew her address and she knew mine. I had the whole plan ready. When we'd reach month four, I'd mention living together to ask her to come live with me at month seven. And then, when things are going really well the following year (or even six months), I'd have a ring ready for her.

The door opened. One beautiful young woman stood in the doorstep. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. Fair-skinned, wavy chestnut hair, gorgeous green eyes, a beautiful smile. How could anyone resist that? I started to smile as well. The thing is, whenever I'm around her, my world slows down. I feel at ease when she's around. In my crazy hectic world, she's my point of focus. She calms me. Not many people can do that.

"Hey, Kenny." Bianca greeted me. We hugged, shared a kiss and she dragged me inside, closing the door in the process. We reached the living room and I sat on the couch. She went to sit next to me. I've been here so many times this might as well could be my home away from home. She looked at me and I looked at her.

"Where were you yesterday?" She then asked. Then I remembered that after the robbery, I was supposed to visit her. A date where we'd order pizza and enjoy a movie in this house, just a regular Saturday evening. I made the mistake to want to rob that bank that night, causing me to miss the date.

"Work", I responded, "They needed my help. It was urgent. They didn't even give me a chance to alert you." I don't have a job – all my time went to my dangerous hobby. I told her I had a top-secret job with no specified hours which required me to go undercover sometimes. I also helped during interventions and communication with someone during these "missions" was forbidden. I practically was pretending to be a high-ranking cop. Oh, the irony! It was relaxing to make some time for love as well from time to time, and one day I'd tell her about the hobby. Or I'd quit so I would never have to lie to her again. I'm leaning more towards the latter.

Bianca nodded. She bought it, luckily. I moved a little closer to her. "Say, how about we order a pizza and watch that movie now? I'm starving." I hadn't eaten anything since the sandwich I ordered before I went to rob that bank. She turned to face me and our faces were really close now. I must've smiled like an idiot while my cheeks were tomato-red.

Bianca agreed with me and confessed she had waited for me. She already had guessed I was doing something dangerous again. She then suggested to watch a movie based on MM comics. I agreed with it and she got up to order that pizza, telling me I needed rest after "such an exhausting night". She's such a sweetheart. She went to another room to order that pizza while I remained on the couch.

My phone rang and I sighed. This was supposed to be my day off. I shouldn't even pay attention to it. I did grab it to see who would want to call me today. I looked at the screen and noticed one 'Anonymous' was calling me. If I hadn't been curious, I wouldn't have answered the call.

"Hello? Who is this?" I said. I could have expected the voice on the other side, but I did not see it coming. Besides, it made this call more unpleasant.

"How's the research going?" Titanio asked me. I shook my head, wondering how he got my number. I sighed loudly, so the tin can would hear it.

"Stalker," I said and ended the call. I did save his number – you never knew when it would come in handy. If I wanted to track his location, or to find Henry Tidwell without his blue armor. That would be a nice surprise, but quite unlikely to happen. I put the phone back in my pocket, where I found my mask. Even if my costume was in my lair, I always carried that mask with me. Nobody would recognize me when a great opportunity appears. Those opportunities always came unannounced.

The rest of the midday, I enjoyed my pizza Hawaii (and yes, I did pay for it) and a good Tecton movie. You know, the one where the most incompetent actor was chosen for the lead role. The one where Tecton is actually ridiculed. I'm lucky Bianca likes parodies, so we both had a good time and forgot we were planning to do this yesterday.

* * *

The good guys won, the pizza was delicious and the time for me to leave came sooner than I wanted. I still stayed half an hour longer than I first planned, which is a good thing. But then again, I really needed to go home. It would only take a few minutes, but I still wanted to see if someone stole my motorcycle. Because if Titanio or Blue Tornado took it without my permission, I will consider it as stealing.

"Report it to the police," Bianca suggested as we were standing on the sidewalk. I nodded and took her hand.

"Already did," I told her, "I'm still going to have to walk, though." I smiled at her and stepped a little closer. The next half a minute was spent kissing each other. Then I pulled away, gave one small kiss on her hand and walked away. I did look back many times and she was still standing there, too.

I decided to take the shortcut through the park when I realized I could also just call Titanio to ask what he'd done to my motorcycle. I'd do that when I was back in my lair. I took my phone and also my headphones. I wanted to listen to some good music, which would make my walk less boring. Today, I put on the playlist I called the villain playlist.

There's quite a story behind those playlists. It first started out as a joke. One of my former teammates, Chameleon, challenged me to give everyone on the crew their personal song. I did and I liked it so much, I gave every villain and hero I knew their own personal song. I separated villains from heroes and changed songs when necessary. I also considered songs from the worst artists that have ever walked the earth (which I will not mention here, some fans are crazy as heck) and, of course, my personal favorites.

The first song was Machine's song. I recently gave her this one song and everyone thought it'd fit her, except for Machine herself. Anyway, I finally reached the park when "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs and Flo Rida blasted through the earphones. It's creepy how well the chorus fits with the situation between me and her.

It was calm in the park. Like, calmer than usual. Off course the weather could have something to do with it, but there would always be idiots who would want to go to the park. It's not like I'm complaining about that situation. I liked the silence of the park. It meant nobody would disturb me as the music made this walk a little pleasant. Wouldn't be as pleasant as being with Bianca, though.

There was one more problem with the park, or any public place with less people than usual: heroes and villains could show up. In my case, three heroes had chosen the park to have a talk. I could see them there, dressed in their ridiculous costumes, standing on the grass as the bushes were blocking their sight. In other words: I could see them, they couldn't see me. Good thing, because it looked like they were having a small fight in that perfect hiding spot.

Yes, it is a perfect hiding spot. Used it several times when cops and heroes chased me. Stopped using it once they figured out it existed. And now the heroes were using it to have a private conversation.

I pressed a few buttons and the song stopped playing. I took off my headphones and put them back in my pocket. After that, I snuck closer to the three heroes. At the same time, I made sure my phone would not reveal my position. Finally, I was about five meters away from them, hiding behind a tree. If I peeked from the side, they wouldn't see me (but only with a bit of luck). I was so close that I could see and hear them clearly.

The first hero was the Silver Shield. No, he's not silver. If he were, he'd look like Citadel and that surfer dude from Marvel. No, only the shields he could project had a silver glow. He just wore some sort of space community uniform, I guess. I don't know the details. Silver Shield brought his good friend, Spark Plug, with him. Her costume was one that immediately draws everyone's attention. Off course it did – it was completely purple with two yellow streaks at the sides looking like lightning bolts. Didn't nobody tell her combining those colors wasn't a good idea?

These were the two heroes who were looking for a fight with NeoCortex. They were having a conversation. No, wait, let me correct myself. Neo couldn't stop talking – the others were just attacking him – about how they had to 'snap out of it', whatever 'it' was. He avoided getting hit, but didn't have the guts to attack back. It was either that, or he didn't have his powers.

Whatever the case, I took my phone and recorded the drama unfolding in front of my eyes. I had two thoughts as I was filming the drama. One: this would be the most viewed viral video in the world. Spark Plug and Silver Shield versus NeoCortex! The Normos would think the special effects were well made. Second: If I was going to pretend to work for Titanio, this would convince him I was at least trying to do it for him. That was the deal, after all. I'd give him names, but then they were his problem. I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.

It ended soon. Silver Shield caught NeoCortex in one of his silver shields, which was more like a transparent silver bubble. NeoCortex looked at Spark Plug right before she was going to hit him with her electric powers. I could see the confusion in his eyes when he… well, I didn't know what he did, he was one of psychic dudes. Couldn't get into his head at that point or any point for that matter, I'm only human.

"The Annihilator…" he said it out loud, loud enough for me to hear it. I silently thanked him for telling me what Spark Plug was thinking about. I had no idea why she would think about the Annihilator and I didn't care. This video would be the most-viewed video ever. It would never top the release of new hit songs, but it would be popular. At least, that's what I hoped.

Then, Spark Plug hit NeoCortex while he was still trapped. He screamed loudly – I grinned when I heard it – as the electricity went through his body. Silver Shield released the hero once he was done screaming, who fell flat on his face. He was unconscious and I cheered. Spark Plug and Silver Shield were doing something evil and, as a villain, I approved of their behavior.

I was quite happy with the situation, but I should've just stayed silent. It was hard to stay hidden from these evil heroes at five meters when you cheered. It brought me in some serious trouble. They turned their heads to me at the exact same time and when they found me, I knew exactly what I had to do.

I ran, but let me get things straight. I'm not, I never was and never will be, a coward. I only ran because, well, it would be two against one, which already is an unfair fight. They were heroes, but evil, so they wouldn't hold back. I didn't have my flamethrowers, just my mask, which I should've put on my face when I saw them. No matter how you looked at it, I had the complete disadvantage. Running was the only reasonable thing to do.

Silver Shield only had to raise his hand and point it in my direction to trap me in one of his silver bubbles. Being in there was not something I enjoyed. I couldn't stand on my own two feet and it was too thick to break through. Bubbles were supposed to easily pop, but these silver ones seemed to be more powerful than that. Instead of resisting and slamming my hands on the sides, I turned around so I could at least face my opponents, even if they had no idea who I was. They had come closer to me.

"It's just a Normo," Silver Shield said and he made the bubble disappear. As a result, I landed with my butt on the soft grass. Anger boiled up within me. It was true, I'm a Normo, but I didn't like the tone he used when he had said these words. I also disliked the fact that he just dropped me like that. Then, I made my second mistake, although I didn't realize it back then.

"Who are you calling a Normo, you space freak!" I yelled, taking a fighting stance. Their eyes widened in surprise – this must've been the first time a Normo talking back to them like I did. "That's right, I'm not afraid of you. I never was. Silver Shield, Spark Plug, this is my neighborhood so pack your stuff and just go!"

"Who the heck are you, then?" Spark Plug asked. That was the moment when I realized I made a mistake. My anger carried me away. It made me respond to these heroes in a way I would only do it as the Incinerator – you know, when I had my flamethrowers to defend myself.

"Your worst nightmare," I responded. It probably would've looked cooler if I was wearing my suit and was opposing them as villain and not as a Normo, "So leave now or feel the fury of my flames."

"The Incinerator," Silver Shield said. In my thoughts, I cursed. The hero had recognized me. Nobody had ever recognized me! Well, Machine had, but that didn't count. That wasn't a hero who wanted to put me in jail. I didn't attack and said nothing – It must've been my choice of words that gave it away. Fury of my flames... it sounds cool and it's what I've used for quite some times. Plus, I've fought Silver Shield before and he's heard me use those words in that order.

"He could use him," Spark Plug then said. Silver Shield nodded in agreement. I just wondered what they were talking about. I got out of my fighting stance – why continue to do that if I wasn't going to attack at all – and stared at them.

"Who could use me?" I asked as they came closer. I backed away from them and then remembered the name NeoCortex had said right before Spark Plug fried him. "Is it the Annihilator? Why?" I turned around and started to run away. I didn't get as far as I hoped. After three to four steps Spark Plug hit me.

Do you know how it feels when electricity runs through your body? If not, you must have had your hair close to a balloon which had been rubbed onto a special fabric and then someone else touched you. I don't really remember if you feel anything then, but it hurts a lot less than what I had to go through. I screamed as loud as Neo, maybe even louder, as long as Spark Plug was directing it in my direction.

Once she was done, I too couldn't stay on my feet. I fell on my back, eyes still opened, looking at the sky. My vision faded away and, without resisting this time, I let the darkness take me and closed my eyes, not having any idea where I'd wake up. If I ever woke up.


	4. Skylar Storm

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of the Incinerator! I guess I'm about halfway through the story. If you think that seven chapters isn't enough to learn about Kenny, I might write some sequels (but with about the same chapter count) to keep you guys entertained. But first, let's go to the reviews and then it's time to read this fourth chapter.**

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Thanks for reviewing! We might also add being in Mighty Max to that list, plus whatever they will do to him once he wakes up._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _I don't know, but we can always hope he'll survive._ _I'm sure you'll like this chapter a lot. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! He could still die. Heroes and villains have a bigger chance of dying because their jobs are so dangerous. Machine is a troublemaker and quite dangerous, even if you haven't met her yet. For now, we'll have to go with another powerful girl. And it's still a little early to introduce Spark in Kenny's backstory. She might appear later on._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I stumbled upon two evil heroes who didn't want to hold back and knocked me out. Blame's on me anyway. Spark Plug and Silver Shield were too fast and I wasn't wearing my suit. I'm trapped, but this time I don't know where I am and knowing heroes-turned-villains, I know the results will not be pretty. I'll make it out somehow, I have to. I'm the human flamethrower. I am the Incinerator._

* * *

The black never gave me any hope for a better life and soon, I had to realize that there was nothing else for me in the world I once knew. I didn't want to admit it, even if I deep down in my heart knew what this darkness meant. Eventually I did admit and I realized I would never wake up again.

Nah, just kidding! I didn't die, or else I wouldn't be able to tell you my awesome story. So, yeah, I did wake up. Want an apology? You're not getting one. So, not sorry for tricking you into thinking I died. If I didn't trick you, then, well… let's continue with what really happened.

I woke up with a big headache. Before anything else, I felt that pain. Then, as I was waking up, my senses picked up other stuff. It was cold in (or out) here and they had actually had taken their time to tie me up to a chair and leave me. To me, I only remembered I felt like sitting on that uncomfortable iron chair from with Titanio's meeting again, only this time my wrists were tied to the armrests with some iron bonds. I lifted my head and slowly opened my eyes.

It was grey in the room, but not Mighty Max grey and luckily not the same shape either. It was a plain room. The only furniture in the room was the chair I was sitting in. In front of me there was a door and at my right, there was a mirror. I guessed this was part of an older interrogation room. I wouldn't be surprised that, at the other side of the glass, there was another room where people, probably heroes, observed my every move.

I looked in the mirror and noticed I didn't look well. I didn't look a lot in the mirror, don't own one, but I've always known I'm the handsome type. Off course I've started using it more since I've got a serious relationship.

To be honest, I looked like shit. I didn't have a lot of sleep and being unconscious (twice in a very short time!) didn't count as getting sleep. There were bags under my brown eyes and my short dark hair was a mess. Other than that, you didn't really see I needed the sleep. after admiring my mirror image, I tried to get out of my bonds. It wasn't easy and I didn't manage. After thirty seconds, I stopped. There was no need to waste the energy I had left on something that might save me.

I closed my eyes and let my head hang as I thought of all the options. Soon, I had come to the conclusion that there were none. Yes, there were some, but I wasn't able to do any of those from my current position. Then I opened my eyes again.

Skylar Storm was standing in front of me. There hadn't been any noise, just her standing in front of me with her arms crossed. "Whoa!" I reacted, "Couldn't you have knocked?" It was always polite to knock before entering, even if I hadn't even heard her open the door.

"They say you're the Incinerator." She said. I guess she didn't want any small talk. As I wondered why she wouldn't rescue me, still looking like a Normo, I nodded. Luckily, I had it all planned out. I knew a day like this would come and I knew exactly what I had to say to her. There was a big chance it really was the superhero and not some teenager in a costume.

"They say a lot about me," I replied, "They say I'm a great singer and the best dancer of Philadelphia, but that's not true. No need to believe that nonsense, I just happen to look like him. I wonder if the guy who draws the Incinerator based his appearance on me. You know, we met somewhat five years ago and we started talking. Then, I had no idea who he was and…"

"They would not lie to me," Skylar continued. I bet she hadn't paid attention to a single word I said. "You'd better confirm your identity before I hurt you." She opened her fist and some pink energy swirled around it, ready to shoot the answer out of me. Now I was sure it was indeed the superhero and not a cosplayer. If it was a cosplayer, I would've asked why the streak in her hair was white instead of pink.

"First, I've got one tiny question," I said. I hoped to buy me some time, but I had no idea if it would work. I'd try it anyway. "Would you please stop playing the pronoun game and just tell me who told you. That way, I can confirm I'm not the Incinerator."

"Spark Plug and Silver Shield." Skylar answered. That swirly ball of pink was starting to slightly scare me. Still, I didn't do anything. if she wanted to torture me, she could. Once I'd be free, I would have the chance to contact Titanio. Like I said earlier, chances are everywhere. And even if I'm in the complete disadvantage right now, the only positive element was that an evil hero was standing right in front of me.

"Are comic book heroes," I finished her sentence. "But for some reason they're real and same goes for you. I don't know what's going here. I was just going out for a walk when I saw them attack NeoCortex. Seriously, my world's turned upside down right now. Luckily I'm in the presence of one of the good guys, right? On a completely different note, you're my favorite hero. Can I go now?" Playing innocent may not be one of my strengths, but I think it was pretty convincing. The pink energy around her hand disappeared, which made me feel more at ease again. Well, as much as possible in a situation like this. she shot me an annoyed look.

"They're not the only ones who can confirm your identity," she continued, "I've received some helpful information from Machine." My eyes widened. She had, what now? Machine and Skylar Storm… that was one duo I had never expected to work together. Yet, when powers are contaminated and evilness rises, anything is possible. Man, this wasn't good at all since Machine usually doesn't team up with more than five at a time. To say the least, I freaked out.

" _Machine_ gave you info?" I almost shouted it out loud, though the volume of my voice was louder than anything I've said today, "What'd she say, what'd she do? You kept your distance, didn't you?" Skylar Storm crossed her arms and looked at me with a triumphant expression on her face. only then I realized I made a mistake and gave away my villain identity. "I fell into this trap, didn't I?" Skylar didn't say anything, just stared at me, and I sighed. "Fine, I'm the Incinerator. That's what you wanted to hear, right? You can stop looking at me like I'm a pile of trash. Why are you even looking at me like that?" There must be a good reason for her to look at me like that and I was sure it couldn't be my looks.

"You remind me so much of someone I know," she responded. I had no idea what I had to think about that.

"In a good or bad way?" I asked her and I wondered if it was possible if she knew one of my younger siblings. I immediately rejected that idea. She was Calderan and until she lost her powers, she's never stayed on this planet. Still, she spent more than one year on this planet, maybe even staying within Philadelphia's borders. Would it really be possible she met one of my younger siblings?

"We're trailing of," Skylar then said, "Spark Plug and Silver Shield thought we could use you. Prove it." Prove it? How did she think I could prove my worth with my arms tied to the chair? And did she really think I wanted to prove myself to join an evil hero club? If that's the case, I don't fit with the criteria. I'm still a villain.

"Prove it?" I repeated, "Do you think I want to be part of another evil organization? Yeah, sure, it's led by the Annihilator and not by someone with zero leadership experience, but still… been there, done that. Not gonna happen."

"How do you think we did it?" Skylar then asked and she summoned the threatening pink energy again. I guessed that a wrong answer resulted in me experiencing a lot of pain, so I told her what I knew and what was logical.

"Based on knowledge I gathered and bought, you don't have to be an idiot to figure it out. the Annihilator collects powers as a trophy, even yours before you or your hero friends took it back. He broke into Mighty Med and when you got your powers back, you turned evil. Still, it's a very obvious process of head twitching, so how is it possible nobody noticed? Well, the Annihilator has crossed paths with Rewind efore that day and had some of his powers in a canister, just in case. He could never figure out how to go back further than five seconds. But then again, Megahertz showed up that day and got arrested, too. You turned back time and operated in secret, contaminating the powers of others like Spark Plug, Silver Shield and Snowstorm, to name a few. While the Annihilator resides in Mighty Max, you are turning everyone evil. You're his second-in-command." There is the undeniable truth that I can be smart if I'm willing to use my brain from time to time. Which isn't very often and only when I have to. It's happened that I couldn't figure out a riddle while others knew the answer after reading or hearing it. And sometimes I'm just plain stupid. Everyone has those moments.

"Very clever," was Skylar Storm's only reaction. I watched her with a disappointed look on my face. At least, I think I looked disappointed. It's hard to tell when you're narrating the story. Anyway, I looked at her with a disappointed look on my face.

"Is that it?" I then said, "I just figured out one of the biggest conspiracies among heroes and that's what you've got to say about it?"

"They were right," she continued, "You would be a good addition." I guess she was about to undo the iron bonds that kept me in my chair, but I interrupted it before she could do that. That was one of my stupid moments, but I wanted to talk myself out of it. I knew exactly what she'd do after freeing me: she'd take out the thing that made people evil and try it on me.

"If you're asking me to join you, I'm saying no. Besides if you wanna use that power controlling thing, it might not work on me right now. A hero I've never met before put a lock in my head. That came out wrong… what I'm trying to say is: I can't use my powers. It's supposed to wear off soon, though I don't know how soon." I don't even know why I was worried back then because it only affects someone's powers, which I don't have. I hoped she bought my lies. She took a step forward and I guessed she knew I had been lying to her.

"Your powers may be neutralized, but they're still inside of you." She reached into her pocket and took out and unfamiliar looking device which could turn people evil. I started to struggle to free myself from this chair. Skylar Storm approached and eventually I stood up and ran to the other side of the room. I had to drag the chair with me and if I wanted it to work, I had to walk around, bowing to carry the weight of the chair with me. I couldn't leave the room; she was blocking my way out. she came closer and cornered me. Still, I resisted. It was not something I looked forward to.

"As long as I am alive, I will not allow myself to help heroes, how evil they might be. We'll always be opposites, reverses, natural enemies!" Skylar came closer but remained at an arm's length distance. At that point, I tried kicking her and I failed. I had to accept I would have to follow the Annihilator, even if I didn't want to and couldn't like these evil heroes.

"When you wake up, you will have joined us, Incinerator."

"When I wake up?" I asked her as she extended the hand in which she did not hold her power contamination device. Before I figured out what she was going to do, she had placed her fingertips against my forehead. They glowed pink before I was forced to close my eyes and take an obligatory nap.

* * *

I woke up easier than the other times. I guessed it was a good sign, but I couldn't be sure. Yet, I was sure of some more things. For starters, I wasn't sitting in that chair anymore. No, Skylar Storm had decided to leave me lying in the same room on the cold hard ground. For the rest, nothing else had changed. There was no camera, just like last time, which was a good sign. But if this place really was an old police station, they could observe me from the other side of the glass. I still had to be careful.

I'm pretty sure the hero injected me with the power contamination serum, so I had to act like it. One problem: I had no idea how to do that, so I decided to act villainous, like always. I stood up and walked towards the door. I grabbed the handle and tried to open the door. Tried, because the door wouldn't budge. I tried a few more times before I hit and kicked it. it didn't work and I turned to the one-way-mirror.

"A little help would be appreciated," I said, trying to sound as calm as possible. Any wrong move could blow my cover. "We're now on the same side, after all." In a short amount of time, I figured out this could work in my advantage, by walking among evil heroes. My phone survived Spark Plug's attack and I had saved Titanio's number. I could send him names. I could be a spy.

I hated spying on heroes, but in this case it would keep me out of jail, which is a good reason for me to actually do it. I waited a little longer and behind me, some sort of worm hole opened. I backed away, as I had no idea where it came from, but I relaxed as soon as I saw Skylar Storm. I wondered if she came from the room next to this one.

"Incinerator," the animosity in her voice was completely gone, though her body language told me she still didn't really trust me. I tried to relax as much as I could and let her talk. I resisted the urge to knock her down. "Whose side are you on?" This must've been the first time she asked that question. The other heroes probably twitched their heads and their distinctive mark turned white first when Skylar was around. She was certain it worked with them, I guess. She wanted to be sure I was on her side.

"I'm on the same side as you," I told her, "One day, the Annihilator will destroy the Earth and I will help my leader with his quest. I am ready to fight alongside you, Lieutenant." Lieutenant. That had a nice ring to it. I had no idea what it meant, but I heard it before and that was some calling an important army dude 'Lieutenant', so it must be a good title to address her with. I hoped that, once I got my suit, she wouldn't wonder why my distinctive mark hadn't turned white. She had no idea I didn't have a distinctive mark, but I wouldn't tell her.

She came closer and I resisted the urge to take a few steps back. We were on the same side now and, because she now was supposed to be my boss, I wouldn't show her I was afraid of her, even if she had twenty-four awesome powers and I am still just a Normo with great lying abilities.

"Welcome to the team," she said and extended her hand. I didn't hesitate and grabbed it, shook it while I looked her in the eyes. She needed to know that I was on board and wasn't doubting, or pretending. Luckily, I can look quite determined and she seemed to buy it.

We let go of each other and she took the key of the door out of her pocket. Before opening the door, she turned her head towards me. "Are your powers back yet?"

I then remembered I lied to her by telling a newbie neutralized my powers. I shook my head. "No, not yet, but I feel they're coming back." I shut my mouth for several moments before continuing. "Before I start, I have one small request. I haven't had a lot of sleep lately, and if I want to serve the Annihilator, I need my rest. Give me ten hours and then I'll be available to do whatever you want." That wasn't lied, I needed my sleep. The last time I slept without someone knocking me unconscious somehow, was the night before the robbery. Like everyone else, I needed my sleep.

Luckily, Skylar nodded. "I understand," she said, "but after that you will have to do something." I nodded and once she opened the door, we walked out of the room. My guesses had been right and we were in an abandoned police station. There weren't a lot of people around, but I did recognize Tecton in the background.

"Who else is serving the Annihilator?" I asked Skylar. She turned her head. "What? We're on the same team, but I'm not psychic. I don't know who I have to work with." Skylar saw the logic behind my request and she gave me some names. I had a feeling that couldn't be all, but I didn't ask about it. She named Tecton, Spark Plug and Silver Shield (probably because I already knew about them) and then she mentioned Snowstorm, Blue Tornado and NeoCortex. I was surprised she mentioned NeoCortex, but then I figured she must have contaminated his powers while he was in the superhero hospital, which I still haven't found. I had promised myself that, when I do find it, I would break in there. I would still do it.

Eventually we reached an unused office with a mattress on the ground. It was there as if they anticipated someone wanted to get some sleep when they were around here. She left me in the room and left the door unlocked. There also wasn't any camera around and through the window I could see it was already dark.

I sat down on the mattress and constructed a plan. I grabbed the phone, muted I and then watched the video I made earlier that day. it was less hilarious than I thought it'd be, but people would love it nonetheless. I looked up the current coordinates and then saved them so, when my cover was blown, I could send them to Titanio immediately.

I put my phone away again and lay down on the mattress. I started counting sheep and before I reached ten, I fell asleep. It had been some long days, and that may have been the reason why I fell asleep so easily.


	5. Mr Quick

**And I'm back with the next chapter, the longest I've ever written for a Mighty Med story** **! Kenny's awake and ready to pretend to be working for the Annihilator. And then something happens. If you want to know what that is, you'll have to read this chapter. But first, as always, review time!**

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! If he wants to make it out unharmed, he needs to be a good liar. We'll see about that and, yes, evil Skylar's here, plus some of her evil friends! He will interact with some evil heroes (including Skylar), and you'll have to see who he's gonna talk to._

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Yes, Skylar's evil. In the Mighty Med timeline, Mighty Mole just ended, so she's gonna stay evil for some time. And Kenny doesn't need to pretend to be evil, he just needs to pretend to work for the Annihilator, even if that's practically the same thing. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, he sort of is, but in the end he'll choose to save only himself. We'll see if he blows his cover. Yes, Kenny reminds her of Kaz, and we'll see if Kenny ever learns Kaz works at the Mighty Med, but for now he's got bigger problems than that._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I must be the best liar in the world. After lying my way into the Annihilator's army, I have been accepted as the first villain to serve him. My lies have saved me for now but if I want to survive, I have to be very careful. One wrong move and my reputation may be gone for good. Also, a bunch of heroes will want to kill me if they knew I was lying to them._ _But I shouldn't worry. I'm the human flamethrower.  
_ _I am the Incinerator._

* * *

At first I couldn't remember what I was doing on a mattress in some sort of office in my civilian clothes. Then the memories came back and I knew I had to get into my suit. I already feel naked when I see those heroes in full costume while I myself was walking around in civilian clothes.

On the other side, it felt good to have slept so well. I've had a few rough days and I needed the sleep. I didn't think too much about how well I've slept and I had no time to stay on the mattress either. What if one of those evil heroes came in? What would they do to me? They would see a Normo and I had no idea what evil heroes would do to Normos.

Naturally, the first thing I did before leaving the small room was putting on the mask in my pocket. If I were to go out, there was no way they would see my complete face. Just the bits and parts I wanted them to see. It was a black mask which covered my face, except for my mouth, eyes and hair. It may not sound like a great thing to do, but it is rather effective. I once showed Bianca a picture of me as the Incinerator. She couldn't see it was me, which was as a good sign.

For some reason, there was a mirror and I could see whether the mask was in the right position or not. Once I approved of it, I walked out of the office and tried to look like I belonged there. I would have to look for the exit, because I would not go walking around with just my mask. I needed my suit and my fake powers to protect me in this crazy group of idiots.

"What are you doing here?" said a familiar voice. A smile appeared on my face, knowing she survived, I turned my around. She must've recognized the mask, there was no other way. Besides, I would have been quite disappointed knowing she was here and didn't recognize me.

Once I turned around, Snowstorm was standing there and I smiled at her in an evil way. "Hey, Snow. How are you? And I'm here for the same reason as you. Who would've thought that one day, we would be on the same side?"

"How do I now you're not lying?" She then said, coming closer. I stayed there, even if I really wanted to back away. No powers meant that Snow could get me like I got her the other day.

"Skylar Storm herself introduced me here," I replied, "We shouldn't fight. We're both serving the Annihilator now. I assume that's why you're here." I stared her in the eye and she stared back. Eventually she crossed her arms and I could release the breath I'd been holding. Though not in a way that would make me suspicious, just in a normal way. She sighed in an annoyed way, which made me guess she had never thought we would be at the same side and ever met without having to fight. I watched her leave and immediately also saw Tecton enter.

I remembered him from yesterday. He was around back then, he saw me with Skylar, he got to know that we were now on the same team. That probably would be one of the few evil heroes who knew I was on their side.

"Hey, Tecton," I said to draw his attention to me. It felt weird to talk to him as if we have been friends for a long time. Yet, I needed to do that so he wouldn't suspect Skylar's contamination serum didn't work on me. "I'm gonna go to my old lair. I'm gonna grab my suit and be right back." I was about to leave the room, but he blocked the way out.

I looked him in the eyes, trying to look intimidating, but I didn't succeed. He still was a little taller than me and heroes naturally aren't too intimidated by us villains. All he had to do was to cross his arms and I already felt he had the upper hand.

"Where is your lair?" he asked. It took me ten seconds to answer his question. During those seconds I debated whether I should tell him where my lair was. Eventually, I came to the conclusion I had to tell him. We were on the same team now (still getting used to that) and not saying where my lair is may make him suspicious of me, and that's not what I wanted to be at that point.

"It's at the corner of West Cambria Street and North Twentieth Street in Upper North Philadelphia. You know, close Allegheny railway station?" He probably had no idea where that was. It looked like he was thinking and I took my chance, trying to walk past the hero.

He was faster. Off course he was, one of his powers was super speed. He grabbed my arms and pulled me on his back, as if he was going to give me a piggy back ride. Then, before I knew it, I was going faster than I've ever gone before. The wind hit my face and the world around me was blurry. Only Tecton was not blurry because I was sitting on his back and clinging onto him as if my life depended on it. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. Anyway, before my brain could figure out what the heck was going on, Tecton stopped.

I almost flew off of his back, but the hero kept me in place. I stayed on top of him until I recognized my surrounding. We were at the crossroads between North Twentieth and West Cambria. I was at my lair, an old industrial building. Everyone but me thinks it's abandoned, but we've always managed to keep it standing. I had opted not to go live in the Lair District, like almost every other villain, to have at least some sort of privacy.

As Tecton followed me, we walked towards a double door, which was the entrance. I took the key out of my pocket and turned towards Tecton. "You're staying outside."

"I'm coming in." He said. I sighed in annoyance.

"My lair, my rules," I said, "You stay here. I'll be back soon." I turned towards the door, think about how I needed a new lair if he ever became a good guy again. I didn't give him the option to say anything else. When I was inside my lair to change, he didn't show up. I was lucky he understood the hints and stayed outside. After five minutes (plus a little test to see if the flamethrowers worked) I came back outside. It was warm outside, and the black leather absorbed its warmth. It would get hot in here, but I would go back to the hide-out, in the cool offices. At least, I would if I knew where that police station was.

"Are you done?" Tecton then asked. He stood there with arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. I nodded, not in the mood to talk to him. Why did he have to come with me? Oh, wait, he didn't, he just volunteered to bring me home and then to bring me back as well.

Wait a minute…

Before he did what he was going to do, the evil grin on his face revealed he would do it again. An evil grin didn't suit the guy, a friendly smile or just an emotionless expression worked better. Before I could bject, he had grabbed me again. About twenty seconds later, we arrived at the abandoned police station.

This time, I stumbled a little after getting off of his back. When I looked up, I noticed Tecton found it amusing to watch. Hey, I couldn't help it that I had no experience with speed whatsoever and could tolerate the speed of my motorcycle, but not much faster and definitely not on someone's back.

"I hate speedsters," I mumbled, loud enough so those who were standing close to me would hear it. Those included Tecton and Mr. Quick, who happened to be near me when I said it. Tecton ignored me and Mr. Quick might have taken it personally. I could see he was staring at me with a look, filled with rage. He stepped closer.

"What are you doing here?" I could clearly hear the animosity in his voice and I stared back. This second try to be intimidating didn't work out again. I didn't give up this time, though.

"Skylar recruited me, flash," I said, "we're on the same side, whether we like it or not." We, because I did not like this at all. Yet, if I didn't want them to attack me right away, I needed to keep a low profile. You know why I couldn't afford to draw attention, so I'm not gonna go into detail.

Before we could insult each other in a correct way, Skylar Storm walked in. Her presence made us stop our fight, even if we hadn't started to fight yet. She looked at me and, not knowing what she actually was feeling, I guessed she approved of me being ready in my suit.

"Mr. Quick, Incinerator," she said as she looked at us, "You two are going to work together to beat a hero." Mr. Quick and I looked at each other. I wanted to tell her I didn't want to take orders from a child, but I didn't say anything out loud. The look in his eyes (and my eyes, for that matter) was clear: I do not want to do this, but I'll have to.

* * *

Not much later, Mr. Quick and I were sitting on a wooden bench in the park. It was weird how much has changed in such a short amount of time. Not one day ago, Titanio told me I could stay out of prison, as long as I'd go looking for evil heroes. If I turned my head to the right, I could see the hiding spot where Spark PLug and Silver Shield beat up NeoCortex. No five meters from where I sat was where they knocked me out and got me into this mess.

And now I was sitting here, hands in my pockets, next to an evil hero, so-called serving the Annihilator. I had taken off my mask and, without it, I actually could pass as a Normo. Mr. Quick, on the other hand…

"Couldn't you have taken off that mask?" I asked him. We were in public, and anyone passing by could see me, but their attention would be focused on the speedster next to me, wearing a mask. From his lack of communication and eye-contact, it was clear he did not want to talk or do anything that involved us working together – or working together with anyone.

"Couldn't you have kept yours on?" He retorted. I glanced around. There was nobody in the park now, but they could always come in any second.

"It'll only attract the unwanted attention of Normos," I said. Off course it would draw their attention, if there would be anyone around. Luckily, there wasn't, or else Mr. Quick would get a lot of weird looks. Like I said earlier, I could pass as a Normo. Mr. Quick wasn't doing anything to conceal his identity as a hero and was sitting next to me in full costume.

"To hell with Normos," he then said. If I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't have believed that the fastest man alive and a Normo lover (so I've heard) would have said such a thing. "This is our mission. We wait for the hero to show up and beat him hard enough so he can go to the hospital. This isn't some sort of undercover mission. Maybe it's time you should start acting like a villain."

He crossed a line there. Nobody tells me I've got to act like a villain, because I already am one. Why do all villains have to be all serious, anyway? Why can't there be a fun villain who commits his crimes with an evil grin on his face only to go steal some ice cream to celebrate once he beats the bad guy? It doesn't always happen, but it would be fun nonetheless. I got angry, but I didn't show it. We were just getting to know each other. Soon, this hero we were waiting for would show up and we could get as far away from each other as possible. Yeah, that's exactly what I hoped would happen.

But for now, I had to keep up with the fastest man alive throwing insults at me.

"Well, I'd love to," I responded, "but I can't, because there's a hero sitting next to me. He's not even disguising himself and nobody is such a great cosplayer. Wait, does that mean heroes actually do exist?" I said in an attempt to come over a little sarcastic. I only did it so he'd take the hint to just take off his mask, but he didn't. Or he did and just ignored it. Either way, he just talked back.

"Shut it, flamethrower," he said, "Since when do you care about Normos anyway?" I remembered Bianca, my younger siblings, my parents, my high school friends. They were the only Normos I actually care about. Yet, I couldn't mention them. I was a villain, damn it. I could not let a hero, how evil he may be, win an argument about something as silly as taking off his mask, or caring 'bout Normos.

"I do not care about Normos," I said, emphasizing every word I spoke in the previous phrase, "Let's set the record straight, flash. When Normos know about us, they'll build more specialized prisons like Mighty Max. The police and others will go look for us with reinforced weapons. They're gonna give us a hard time." Did that sound like I was scared of what they potentially could do? I hope it didn't.

"Same goes for heroes," Mr. Quick said, and for one second I wondered how he could agree with me so easily, "Masked vigilantes who catch the bad guys by breaking the laws. According to that, they're just as bad as we are. They belong in the cells because they're breaking way more laws than we are right now."

"I don't want to be a buzzkill," I almost immediately said, wondering why he would continue to talk now they finally got along, even if they just agreed on the same thing. "but we do belong in prison for everything we've done, too." I did crime and he stopped me, bending the law doing so. We're masked vigilantes walking around the streets. The way he talked about his colleagues made clear his mind was twisted enough to think of them as enemies. I applaud Skylar Storm and the Annihilator for their serum and because it works so well.

"That's right," he said. If I had been drinking something at that point, I would've spit it out. What are the odds of a hero agreeing with me two times in a row? "We do. But if the secret is gonna be exposed, you'll be in jail before me."

I immediately regretted my choice to continue the argument. If I hadn't, we would've just sit there in silence until the hero came. I already predicted we'd continue to discuss who would be in jail first: the Incinerator or Mr. Quick.

"Excuse me?" Was my first reaction. Because I didn't say anything else, Mr. Quick continued. For the first time since we walked into the park, he turned his head in my direction, allowing me to look him right in the eyes. He grinned. It wasn't an evil grin, just one you would see whenever someone as bragging about something they're good at.

"I'm the fastest man alive," the wannabe Flash said, "You're just a flamethrower who sometimes uses toxic flames. You'll burn them, but they can catch up to you. They'll never catch up on me."

Please remind me where this went wrong. We started off taking about masks, then about the secret, and now we're gonna talk about who's better? Do we even need to discuss that? I could feel the anger boil up within me, but I decided to keep it caged. For now. I'd unleash my wrath on the evil hero when I was angry enough not to care 'bout Titanio's mission anymore.

I stood up and he followed my example. We were standing about one meter from one another, which was close enough to make this personal confrontation feel more intense. Besides, standing up gives a way more powerful message than someone who's just sitting in on a wooden bench.

"Listen up, flash, I'm better than you in ways you do not understand. Sure, they can catch up on me, I'm not denying that. But when they do, I'll tell them where they can find you. I have powerful friends, like Megahertz and Wi-Fi, Soul Slayer and the Demon Brothers. I'd be going to jail, yes, but at least I'd know to expect you there as soon as they've found you." I was lucky Mr. Quick wasn't one of my regular adversaries. He barely knew anything about me, just that I was in a gang and that my 'powers' included being a pyromaniac. I only met Wi-Fi through the internet, Megahertz hated me because I sided with Machine whenever we met and Soul Slayer and the Demon Brothers don't even know I exist.

"They'll never catch me," Mr. Quick said, "I'm better than you anyway."

"What?" I then said. I tried to sound angry and I succeeded – wasn't too hard because of the anger inside of me. "You take that back. I can beat you in one-to-one combat without breaking a sweat." He laughed. I never knew whether he thought I was joking or I thought to be better than him (which I am).

"Whatever you'll do to me, I can do it in a matter of seconds." This was the perfect time for me to let out the anger I've been saving for this moment. I was disappointed afterwards when all I did was just roar in anger and point my fists in his direction after turning off the flamethrowers' safety. They were only a few inches away from his face. With one thought I could burn that stupid grin off of his face and I would not regret anything. Then why wasn't I just shooting flames in his direction?

"This is your only warning," I shouted, enraged, "Don't make me angrier than I already am! If you do, I will kill you!"

Then I realized this was wrong, that this wasn't my doing. My emotions led me to do this. This started off as a discussion about whether to take of the mask. I started to ask some questions, like how I could get so angry. Like _why_ I could get so angry. I'm not the angry type. Sure, I can get cranky and all at certain times, but I've never been angry enough to be able to kill someone. By the way, it isn't like me to kill anyone either.

In a matter of seconds, I put my arms back down and look around. There was only one person I knew who could mess with someone's emotions. Mr. Quick was talking to me, but I didn't hear what he was trying to tell me. Important or not, there was something I needed to check out. M

y eyes scanned the environment, to look for any little detail that could help me identify the enemy hidden from our sight.

"Are you even listening?" Mr. Quick then said, loud and annoying enough for me to actually listen to his words.

"Shut it, flash," I said, with a calm tone (while I was anything but calm) hoping he'd notice the sudden shift in emotion. As expected, he didn't notice or he just didn't want to notice. Anyway, he was getting on my nerves and continued to talk. If I'm not mistaken, he was complaining about how I didn't listen to whatever boring things he had to say.

I turned around to face the most annoying man alive. "Shut it," I said, "I can't focus." Then, over his shoulder, something moved. When I leaned in closer, I noticed it wasn't something. It was a someone. With every move he made, I could see his silhouette move closer towards us. He stopped for a moment when he noticed I stared, but soon continued creeping closer. The reason why we hadn't seen him coming was because he had camouflaged himself. That was one of his powers – he'd adapt to the environment, but he'd never be truly invisible.

Or this was just me being paranoid and angry. Well, there was only one way to find out whether there really was someone there. Without warning Mr. Quick or the person who came closer/my imagination, I lifted my arm and shot flames in the mystery person's direction. A loud yell answered my question – there had indeed been someone there. Mr. Quick turned around to see what I hit when his camouflage wore off.

On the ground lay a person, presumably a boy, wearing a green hoodie. I knocked him out cold with my flames, but somehow managed not to burn him. I guessed he was wearing his fireproof outfit for this special occasion. I would've thought this was just a confused person with powers if I didn't know him personally.

"Shit." I said. The boy on the ground was Chameleon. He's one of the three men in Machine's crew and the only one from the crew I could get along with. Yes, he always wears a hoodie. Besides Machine, he was my best friend and the only person in the crew to be genuinely afraid of her. I hadn't seen him since I left, and now I'm seeing him here wasn't a good sign.

Without focusing too much on my unconscious best friend, I started to look around. I'm glad I actually paid attention to what my former teammates were doing whenever we went on a rampage through the city. It taught me a lot more than I ever would've imagined. Like this: if Chameleon shows up and tries to sneak up on you, Savage will definitely be plan B when Chameleon wasn't good enough. And knowing Savage, he'd probably strive to kill us both.

I knew what was coming before it flew towards us. Knowing them, I focused my attention on Mr. Quick, who just wouldn't stop talking. He needed to move away from here, and fast. This was my mess and he didn't have to be involved. He needed to run, to get some help. He didn't and so I did something I never thought I'd ever do in my entire life: I pushed a hero.

Doesn't sound like such a big deal? It is when you realized Savage had been ready to kill said hero and leave him with a leg injury that would keep him from running away. And the dagger that had been meant for Mr. Quick had hit me in my right leg.

I fell on the concrete of the sidewalk, grabbing my leg where the dagger had hit me. I had gotten used to the feeling of a dagger in my body (Savage often used me for target practice) but it still hurt a lot. I remembered I shouted "Damn it, Savage." or something that sounded a bit like that. I wondered if I should be glad it wasn't poisonous or not. Savage liked poisonous blades enough that his adversaries now are sort of immune to it, because he's used those so much. And yet they've never died after being poisoned. But I have never gotten a poisoned dagger in my body – Machine wouldn't let Savage use those on me.

Savage appeared behind some bushes, walking closer. Unlike me and Chameleon, he didn't conceal his face. He really liked the dark colors, which can be seen in his villainous costume. It also has a lot of pockets, which he uses to place his daggers. As his name suggests, he fights like a Savage and likes to torture his victims before slowly ending their lives. Well, he would if the heroes never stopped him.

"You should be glad I didn't use a poisonous blade," Savage said. Okay, that was great. I wasn't poisoned, but I did have a blade stuck in my leg. I couldn't move without help, there came blood out of the wound and I did not want to pull the dagger out of it (it would probably make it worse).

Then I realized something else. Where Savage and Chameleon were (so, at the same place at the same time) Machine would follow. I glanced at the evil hero, hoping he'd run away. Long story short: he hadn't. Apparently Savage had thrown more than one dagger in our direction. He had been hit in his leg, too, and now he was shouting loud enough for the entire park to hear it.

Like I predicted, Machine appeared out of nowhere. To describe her, she could easily be compared to a younger, female Megahertz. I suggest you don't call her that when you meet her, because she hates to be compared to him. I don't know why, though. She's got long dirty blonde hair which she permanently keeps in a ponytail and her pale skin looked even paler in contrast with her black suit that, again, resembled Megahertz's costume. I'm pretty sure she isn't a cyborg. She had brought a friend with her.

"Flamebird?" I called out when I saw the two female villains standing next to each other. "You already replaced me?" She could breathe fire. That was pretty awesome and Flamebird didn't need any flamethrowers to do it. It was an obvious choice, though I was surprised she hadn't chosen a man to go with her.

"I wish this had happened sooner," Machine responded. Chills ran down my spine as she spoke and for some weird reason, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. "What were you doing here with that hero? Talk before Savage gets bored."

I hadn't prepared for this moment and now I needed to come up with a plan before Savage would get bored. When he's bored, he normally goes back to target practice and I already mentioned I was often his target. And Savage got bored rather fast. I did have an idea, but I had no idea if it would work or if Machine would only get angry. Well, I could always try and see what would happen.

 _"It's like you're always there in the corners of my mind_ ," I began with a shaky voice, unsure if it would work. I did continue with more confidence and they all just stared at me with a look, which I translated as 'what the heck is he doing?'

" _I see your silhouette every time I close my eyes. There must be poison in those fingertips of yours, 'cause I kept coming back again for more!"_ By the time I had reached this part of the song, Flamebird covered her ears with her hands. Machine was doing the same and Savage, well, he just glared at me. I know my singing is worse than a chorus of cats, which I why I sang in the first place. No, I do not have a death wish, but I do want to distract them. I continued.

" _Trouble, troublemaker, yeah, that's your middle name. I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain. And I wanna know: why does it—_ " That was when Savage had enough, grabbed a dagger and placed it against my throat.

"Go on, sing. I dare you." I didn't continue to sing and just stopped. Machine and Flamebird removed their hands from their ears and came closer. I glanced in Mr. Quick's direction before they could say anything and then sighed out loud in relief. This made Savage, Machine and Flamebird turn their heads and realize Mr. Quick had been speed-crawling away from this place. If there's anything they hate more than me leaving the team again, it's heroes who get away. Right now, Mr. Quick was getting away.

"Mr. Quick escapes," Machine yelled the obvious and the three soon ran to catch up on him. Even when crawling, he went as fast as a man who's in a hurry but doesn't want to run. I lost their attention, giving me time to pull out my phone.

The way I saw it, I didn't have time to add anything to the saved message. So I just sent the coordinates of the abandoned police station to the tin can and hoped he'd be there soon to help me and possibly catch some evil heroes. And if I managed to lure Machine and her crew there, they could rescue me (and maybe Mr. Quick) as well.

They had caught up on Mr. Quick and dragged him back here, with a second dagger in the same leg to prevent him from escaping again. I dropped the phone after I sent the text and then smashed it so they would never figure out what I did with it. They didn't need to know I just contacted a hero.

Savage dragged Mr. Quick back to where I was, hurting him to punish him for trying to flee. The grin on his face and the screams of pain from the hero were the reasons why he was coming back slowly while Machine and Flamebird were already standing next to me. If I wasn't mistaken, Chameleon was waking up, too, but I couldn't be sure.

"You almost let the hero escape," she said with a tone, filled with animosity. If she was a snake, she'd be circling around me and trying to find a weak spot to bite or strangle me when I showed weakness. I wasn't used to her talking to me like that.

"In my defense," I started, "he became evil and extremely annoying."

"Why did you let him escape?" she asked me, emphasizing every word and coming closer. Her eyes told me that she wanted an honest answer, or else. Or, in this case, she wanted an answer soon, or else. That 'or else' was to be filled in by either Savage or Chameleon, and now it would probably be Savage.

"I didn't," I said, "I just felt like singing." When the time was right, I might introduce it as another one of my powers. They might not be happy with it, but the heroes would totally be surprised if I started singing during the battle. They could cover their ears and then his former teammates could attack them. I don't think Machine would be amused, but it was always worth a try.

In the meantime, Savage had come closer. He dropped Mr. Quick on the concrete, making him groan in pain. "And it sounded awful," he commented. "Can I kill him now?" I knew he was talking about me and not about the hero he had just dragged here. I wasn't scared, though – Machine would never let him. I don't know why I was feeling so at ease at this moment.

"Not yet," she said and my eyes widened. She would actually agree on killing me? What the heck? "The way I see it, the Incinerator has become a good guy." For some reason, I started to laugh. I'm guessing it was because she suggested that I could actually be a good guy. That would never happen. I was already surprised I was able to laugh when that damn dagger was still stuck in my leg and emitted a lot of pain.

"Me? A good guy?" I managed to say between laughs. When I had calmed down, I continued to talk. "They do not have anything I want. I just took some time off and tricked Titanio, Skylar Storm and many others, including flash over there. I made them believe I was one of them. They should know better than to trust me. I never was, and never will be, a hero or a villain-turned-hero. I was just waiting for the right time to strike. You know me better than anyone else, Machine. Didn't I always come back? You know I never would stop with being evil. You believe me, right?" I looked at her expectantly. As I was looking at her, feelings from the past returned, feelings I never thought I'd feel again. I suppressed those feelings and almost missed Machine's next words.

"I might, if you give me one good reason to trust you."

I didn't hesitate. "Those hero idiots were dumb enough to believe I was one of them and brought me to one of their hide-outs. I know where it is, about three blocks to the south. It's an old police station and nobody uses it anymore, expect for Skylar Storm and others."

"Traitor!" Mr. Quick spat at me. I didn't turn my head and instead focused on Machine.

"Thanks," I responded to him calling me names, "It's my thing." It really was, sorta. I quit Machine's crew more than I could count and every time, they would call me a traitor. I would always return, expect this last time, which kinda undermines my argument, but… let's just say I'm used to being called a traitor.

Machine walked closer until she sat on her knees in front of me. I've always found it hard to know what exactly she was feeling. She never showed any emotion at all. She either just remained emotionless so I had to guess what she felt based on what she said and how she said it or she smiled in an evil way. I only ever knew for sure when she was excited. Other than that, I always had to guess. I leaned back, hoping she wouldn't hurt me. If she would, I would hit her back with my flames. I'd have Chameleon, Flamebird and Savage trying to kill me, but it would be worth it.

"Welcome back, Incinerator." She said to everyone's big surprise, including mine. She stood back up and ordered Chameleon to help me get back up and patch up my wound. Apparently Chameleon had woken up, because the boy in the hoodie soon came to me and helped me stand back on my feet.

"Bring us to that police station." Machine then ordered. Knowing I had no other choice but to join the crew (again) I nodded and then Chameleon and I moved to the south. Machine and Flamebird followed, while Savage would drag Mr. Quick with us. Machine wanted him to do it, so he would suffer more before Savage was allowed to kill him.

"So, you're gonna try to let him stay forever now?" Savage said as we reached the edge of the park. I figured those words weren't meant for me (because he was talking about me) but I couldn't help but listen to what they were saying about me.

"Off course I'm going to keep him." Machine responded.

"I don't know why I'm going to help you keep him," Savage said – he's never been a friend to me, more of a rival, "But you should change it a little. More input from yourself, more initiative. If you want him to stay, you're gonna have to make advances towards him. He's not gonna say yes to a naysayer forever."

I had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was, it had something to do with me saying yes to a naysayer. I could only link it to me always asking Machine to do "it" after a fight, preferably in her own bed, but she kept refusing me. I made my moves, but she never followed. That's why I always left: she didn't return the feelings I have for her.

No, wait, that's wrong! The feeling I _had_ for her, not the feeling I _have_ for her. why would I even say that? I don't feel anything for her anymore. Right?

I'd figure it out on the way to the abandoned police station. There was nothing else I could do when nobody, not even Chameleon, wanted to talk to me.

 _Trouble, troublemaker, yeah, that's your middle name._

 _I know you're no good, but you're stuck in my brain._

 _And I wanna know…_

Ahem. I'm sorry for that. I should've never sung the song. It's stuck in my head. Now, excuse me while I try to get it out of my head.


	6. Machine

**Hello, and welcome to the second-to-last chapter of this story! Again, it's quite a long chapter! Kenny's reunited with Machine, Savage and Chameleon and the leader thinks he's gonna stay now. We'll see if Kenny will let her persuade him to stay. But first, let me respond to the reviews from last chapter:**

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I just had to add that ending. It was one of my favorite parts of the chapter! I figured you'd mean that, but for me it's sometimes hard to understand what someone means when they're saying something._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Yes, yes it is. He can't just take a break (he should be glad he got to sleep one full night). He doesn't even want to stay with them anymore, even if a villainous blonde is capable of changing his mind. If you loved the previous one, you're gonna love this one, too. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! The most intense hasn't happened yet. I'm sure he doesn't want to stay, but we don't know what's going to happen yet. It's not weird to like her. About those moves, let's just say Kenny wants to do it from time to time, but Machine never let him. He was annoying on purpose and I wouldn't want to meet Savage, too. Well, they are villains and they were looking for Kenny. You can already guess their confusion when they saw him with a hero. I don't think Machine's crew knows about heroes being turned evil. They might figure there are less heroes to fight, but they would have never guessed they were being turned evil._

 _LabRatsWhore:_ _I'm glad you caught the references, though the Savage one wasn't intended. There are multiple reasons why Kaz hasn't recognized the Incinerator as his brother: in the comics, the villain barely takes off his mask, Kaz hasn't seen him in five years and believes his brother is still in jail, nearly everyone believes Kenny really has powers, but they don't know about the flamethrowers because Kenny is very careful about not showing the world he's a Normo._ _Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I'm in a sticky situation. I traded the Annihilator's army with Machine's crew (NOT out of free will) and now, I'm back with my old team. I have no idea how long I'm gonna stay, probably just a few hours, and then I'll be gone. I'll have to face the consequences of my choice later, because Machine will not appreciate me leaving again (this time, I'm not gonna tell her I'm gonna leave). Her wrath is one worry for later, because now I gotta get out of here. I'm the human flamethrower.  
_ _I am the Incinerator._

* * *

Okay, the song's outta my head, so we can continue with the awesome story of my life. We were still walking to the police station as we hadn't reached it yet. Chameleon and I were in the front of our little crew because I knew where the police station was and I wanted to (read: had to) show them where it was. Behind us walked Flamebird, Machine and Savage, who also was dragging Mr. Quick with him. The hero kept trying to escape. I didn't see it but the amount of swear words coming out of Savage's mouth was more than enough to know how many times quicksilver was trying to escape.

Do you know my former crew members? I remember I only described Machine to you, so here's a small recap. If there was a hierarchy in the crew (there is) Chameleon is way low on our list, even the lowest. He is also my best friend of the crew and the "nicest", if you can call villains nice. He always wears a hoodie or walks around camouflaged. If we infiltrate, he's the one who goes in first. Also, he can change his voice to any voice he's ever heard. Pretty awesome ability, but I never heard him use it. I gave him the song "Beat it" from Michael Jackson, because that's what the bullies told him a lot when he was a kid. And yet here he was, more famous than the idiots who told him to beat it, even if they'd never know Chameleon was that boy.

Savage is the other man. He's well in his thirties and we've never been friends. No mask, dark clothes, lots of pockets for lots of daggers (poisonous and/or not) and likes to kill. That's Savage for you. Also, the song I gave him is "In the dark of the night" from Anastacia (you know, that movie about the Russian monarchy that isn't a Disney movie?). Most lyrics don't fit his situation, but the evil tone behind it really gives me a Savage vibe. Then there's Flamebird, the newest member of Macine's crew. I do not know her, and I have no song for her. I just know she breathes fire like a dragon, but that's it. It's a pretty cool ability. I'm sure you all remember Machine (the great 'troublemaker') so let's move on from the exposition to the story.

That means I go back to complaining about the dagger. They didn't want to pull it out because, well, we could do it once we were at the police station. And even then, they probably would keep it in there. Me, I was not going to be the one to remove that damn knife out of my leg. It would hurt even more and then I wouldn't be able to walk anymore. It was just a guess, but I knew that whatever happened to that dagger, it would hurt me a lot. One more reason to hate Savage.

We soon arrived at the police station. Savage let go of Mr. Quick, who probably was thankful he didn't have to suffer anymore. Knowing Savage, this could only mean the hero got a small break before Savage would continue to harm him until the hero would beg for mercy – then Savage would become even crueler than he already was. Anyway, Savage and Flamebird remained in that place because Machine told them to while she, Chameleon and I, went somewhere else. Savage wished Machine "good luck", and she responded she didn't need it. Because Chameleon did not say anything about it, I had no idea what they were talking about.

Chameleon brought me to this room with one window. Oh, so it had been a one-way mirror. Excuse me, that sounded confusing. Remember the room where I had my first official talk with Skylar? There was a mirror in that room and I thought it was a one-way mirror and that there was another room at the other side. Well, we were in that room at the other side of the one-way mirror. The chair I sat in yesterday was still there. At this side of the glass, there were two chair and one table, along with a lamp that, I think, produced only half the light it was supposed to produced. The corners were all dark. Chameleon helped me sit down in one of the chairs while my two former teammates remained standing.

"I want to talk to him alone." Machine said. Chameleon then put on his camouflage and walked towards the door. We heard how he opened the door and then closed it, but we both knew he was still in the room. A silhouette walked past me and went to stand in the corner. As long as Chameleon didn't say a word, Machine wouldn't be mad at him.

We looked at each other in silence and I wondered what she saw. If I were in her position, I'd see a sorry excuse of a villain, a traitor, a quitter who didn't come back again, a pathetic young man with a knife stuck in his leg. But for now, I was looking at Machine. It took only ten to twenty seconds, but it felt like an eternity. I took in every detail. She had crossed her arms and glared at me. I had no idea what was happening to me, but I knew something was changing. While I could see nothing but my former boss when she appeared, I now saw a young woman who needed a strong man at her side, like me.

Why was I thinking that? I have a girlfriend, I should be thinking of her, not of going back to Machine. What's wrong with me?

She stopped glaring at me. She put one step in my direction and looked at me. For some weird reason, I couldn't stop staring at her.

"What the hell is going on with you? What were you doing with that speedster?" I had to remind myself that she knew I didn't like speedsters. Also, I didn't feel the need to lie to her. She knew a lot about me, so she would know when I was lying. Besides, I couldn't just tell her I was sitting there with Mr. Quick for fun – because I would also be lying to myself.

"Staying out of prison." At the other hand, she didn't need to know I had been working together with a hero. It'd be another reason for Savage to plunge a dagger in my body, though I had no idea where he'd put the second one if he knew.

"By befriending a hero?" Machine then said, and I shook my head.

"We're not friends, never were." I immediately clarified, "He's so irritating, thinks he's better than villains. Doesn't even realize he's supposed to hold back so he won't become one of us." I think I just did something wonderful: Machine looked confused. And she only ever showed emotions when she was doing evil things while she was happy.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." I figured she'd say something like that, and I was more than happy to explain my situation to her. I don't know why I was happy, though. All I knew was that Machine's attention went to me and that was awesome.

"Two words: evil heroes," I said, "I figured that if I stuck with them, they'd fight the good guys to protect me from them. I dunno how it happened, but I do know it was a good chance." And then a part of me reminded me that the League of Heroes might come barging in to save me and Mr. Quick. Titanio did have the coordinates. How long did it take him to just come over and defeat the crew?

"If you wanted protection," Machine began again, "then why didn't you come back to us? We're more than capable to fight heroes." I opened my mouth.

"Because I…" I looked straight at Machine and that may have been a mistake, because it made me doubt. Yes, why didn't I come back to them? I mean, they were my friends (minus Savage) and we've been through a lot together. I can trust them more than I can trust those stupid heroes who do not understand us. My mind, however, gave me more than enough reasons not to accept Machine's help. _I no longer want to stay with you. I want to go solo. I do not want her to get hurt, she doesn't deserve to be caught in the crossfire._

"Don't you want to come back?" Machine insisted, somehow making me hesitate even more.

"I…" Why was it so hard to decide what I wanted when she was around? I was more than clear just two days ago, and now I don't even know what I want anymore. "I don't know, I…" I eventually decided to just leave it there. I'd tell her if I made a decision.

Then, she said something I never thought to hear her say. "I get it," she said, looking away, maybe at Chameleon. "You don't want to come back to us because of me."

"Yeah, that's it." I immediately reacted before I couldn't say another word because of her hidden beauty. I also would mark this moment as the moment when the logical part of my brain just stopped functioning for no apparent reason. You'll read in a minute why.

"I know I did wrong," Machine confessed and I nodded, not taking my eyes off of her. "I should've let you in, but I couldn't, but I wanted it. Every time you tried, I was reminded of…" she shook her head, "No. I didn't want to get hurt again and I didn't want you to hurt me."

"I'd never hurt you," I blurted out. Where did she get that idea anyway? She knows I would never be able to hurt her, even if I wanted to. She's too great to be beaten, too precious to me to hurt. She looked back in my direction.

"What I did was wrong," she continued, "I'm a villain, can you blame me for not accepting you? But I made a decision. I want to try again, start over, but this time I won't say no to you." My eyes widened.

"You won't?" I said. At the same time, Chameleon had reacted the same way I did. We both couldn't believe Machine's words, which were too good to be true. He sounded like he was confused, while I couldn't hide my happiness. She's always refused me, but now all of a sudden, she really wanted me? Oh, this was the best day of my life!

She shot an evil smile in my direction. I like it when she does that.

"Just imagine it," she said, "You, me, and an entire city to bring to its knees. Nothing's going to stop us, not even the heroes who try to bring us down. First we'll destroy the hospital, then we destroy the city. Everyone will tremble before Machine and the Incinerator." I could already see it happen. Me and Machine standing on the roof of the Philadelphia city hall while the city around us burned down. Dying heroes looked away from the terror, feeling guilty they couldn't have saved the civilians, whose bodies were scattered everywhere.

"I like that," I said, looking up at her. I gave her my most evil smile and I tried to stand up. My determination was big enough to stand on the uninjured leg with my hands on the table for extra support. I turned my head in her direction and I noticed she was loving what she saw unfold in front of her eyes.

At that moment, I knew that all I wanted and all I needed was the woman standing right in front of me, as well as the destruction that would come when the two of us would team up to obliterate the city. The words she and Savage had spoken when we were right outside the park made sense now. "I'm all yours," I said "but only if you're all mine. After all, I can't say yes to a naysayer forever." I had no doubt her answer would be 'yes' this time. The longer she waited, the more I yearned to hear her voice, to know she wanted me the way I wanted her.

"I'm yours," she said with an evil smile on her face. I always thought she was prettiest when she was giving ma that awesome evil look. "But first you'll have to do something." I almost started whining as a little child. Why couldn't we just make out yet? She finally said yes and now I have to do something for her. It's not that I don't mind, it's just that it postpones us doing some great and evil things together. Cities don't fall all by themselves, y'know. Besides, I really want her in my bed. Or me in her bed, that doesn't matter, as long as we're sharing a bed at one point.

"Machine, you've got him," Chameleon then interrupted us, "Don't do anything you regret later." That stupid little freak! Nobody talks about Machine like that, and especially not with that tone. He should've chosen a better moment to stand up for himself and speak up. I turned around and with one swift move, I shot some flames in his direction. The shouts that followed told me that I had indeed hit him. Score! Chameleon, now visible, ran out of the room. I was about to follow him to show him what he'd get if he'd mess with Machine ever again when she stopped.

"Not now, Kenny," she said and I calmed down, "You can save that energy for Mr. Quick." I turned my head to face her. I already guessed where she was going, but I was thinking too much about Chameleon to think about the hero. Is it me, or did Chameleon become brutal over the years? I always remembered him as the timid guy who just came with us and helped us and never spoke unless it was important, making some jokes together when we met in the bar. Those were some good times, but these right now were definitely better.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked her, "Tell me and I'll do it. There's no limit."

"We will be together forever," she then said, "If you kill Mr. Quick." I nodded and I did not hesitate. I turned my back to her (for a good reason) and walked out of the room. I put a determined look on my face as I continued to walk to the place where the hero would be. It wasn't easy to continue walking with the dagger in my leg, with the pain spreading to my foot, but I kept on walking. The walls gave me enough support for now. I would reach the hero soon, anyway, so I could just take care of him and then take a break as they tend to the wound.

Mr. Quick lay on the ground, walking the thin line between consciousness and unconsciousness. That was already a far stage in Savage's killing strategy. That meant he hurt the hero enough to have made him cry like a baby and beg for his life. I noticed the torn up uniform, the daggers having cut all over his body. Right now, if the hero would give in to the unconsciousness, Savage would kill him.

I'd go first. This time, I wouldn't allow Savage to take the kill and get credit for it. It was time for me to man up and do what was necessary to keep my love happy.

I pushed Savage out of the way and got ready to kill the hero. Savage wasn't happy I opposed him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked me. I just turned my head to him and glared at him. I hoped I looked like I could tear him to shreds with just my hands. If he'd cross a certain line, I most likely would.

"Don't cross me," I said. Behind me, Machine finally had reached the place where we were. Flamebird was here, too, but she didn't say anything. I had no idea where Chameleon was. Machine had come closer to us, but I wasn't looking at her (though I really wanted to). I had to be focused on the hero I had to kill. No big deal. Just aiming the flamethrowers at him and giving the command. Let the flames consume him until there was nothing left but ashes from this annoying speedster. That was a good plan.

"What are you doing?" Savage then said, "Wanna say goodbye before I end it?"

"I'm gonna do it myself," I said, aiming my hand at the hero. I thought I heard Savage wonder if I were actually able to end a life, but I ignored him. At that moment, Mr. Quick had turned his head and slightly opened his eyes. he saw me standing over him, holding my arms and hands in such a position to kill him. He then closed his eyes and with a lot of effort, he spoke.

"So now you're gonna kill me?" He was referring to our conversation in the park earlier, which we stopped having after I told him I would kill him if he didn't do something, I forgot what it was.

My mind was split in two different parts. One part followed, wanted, needed Machine and would do anything for her. The other part, which was way smaller than the first, questioned it. I was leaning more towards the smaller part, because it wondered why all of a sudden, I would be willing to kill someone just because someone told me to do it.

It got me confused, with those two sides of me fighting. I wanted it to stop, I needed it to end. How could I make it end? I had no idea, but it just needed to stop. Maybe if I had a point of focus, then I would be able to think straight again and focus on the task at hand. But what to focus on? That was an easy question: Machine.

 _No, not Machine, Bianca,_ the smaller part of my mind whispered to me. I blinked twice, the only sign that there was a fight going on inside my head – out there, Machine, Flamebird and Savage were still waiting for me to finish the job. _Bianca,_ the other part of my mind responded, _we don't know who that is. we don't want to. Just trust Machine – she'll be all you need._ The response made my brain hurt. Bianca… just a few minutes ago, I hadn't even thought of Bianca as Machine was seducing me. I had completely forgotten her. I love Bianca, but since a few minutes ago, I also somehow loved Machine again. How was that possible?

"What are you waiting for?" Machine asked, "Finish the job." She made me focus, but all I could think of was Bianca and about how messed up my emotions were. I thought about it for a minute – I'm not gonna go into detail, you're just gonna get confused it I tried to explain to you how my thoughts contradicted each other – and the one thought that came out of it, was: how did she want to make me kill someone? I would not do it out of free will, even if I almost did (so, yeah, Mr. Quick's safe for now). The answer to the question was: I was too blinded to think straight. Blinded by what or who? By Machine, off course, and the feelings I didn't understand right now.

The only logical thing I could do was to compare my feelings for Machine with those for Bianca and I came to the conclusion that I really loved Bianca and only her. but there definitely were feeling for Machine, too, though it wasn't love. I just wanted to be with her in the same bed, I felt lust when I thought of her and love was just another step in that process. This made me question why I wanted to do that with Machine, and why I wanted to do it in the past. _She's messing with my head_ , I thought.

Then I figured out she literally was messing with my head. Why didn't I figure this out sooner? I always was feeling way more evil and efficient when Machine was around. I knew she had a second power (first power is her psychic attack. Wait, I didn't mention that before? So that's what I forgot to tell you.) but I had no idea what it was until now. To think that so many times, she and Savage joked about changing my emotions and how easy that was.

"Kenny." She then said. I had no idea how long she has been influencing my emotions, but I was guessing she did it since the beginning. Did you know I first declined the offer to come with her? Yet, the longer I spend time around her, the more I liked the idea and then I said yes. I'm now certain she has influenced me to accept her offer, so there really was nothing from the start. I didn't know her, but she definitely didn't know me as well as she thought she knew me.

I turned around. I pulled my arms away from the now unconscious hero and instead aimed for Machine, who didn't flinch. "Stop messing with my head." I told her. I guess she was still influencing me, because a small part of me didn't want to do it. Luckily, the part that wanted to set her aflame was bigger.

"You figured it out?" She said and sounded surprised, as if she thought I would figure it out at one point in my life, just not today, but a few more days, weeks, years into the future. She doesn't know me at all, I told myself as I got ready to give the command and send flames in her direction.

"I don't know for how long you've been doing it," I said, "but this ends here."

"Go ahead," she then said, crossing her arms, "Shoot me. You can't, you won't." She thought I wouldn't do it. She thought I would come back to her, because it's what I've always done. I could feel her mentally trying to pull me back to her. But she had no idea I had come out stronger because I finally realized what she was doing to me. There was no more room for hesitation. There was no time for hesitation now. Things needed to be done, such as me showing her I would never go back to her.

I surprised her as the flames flew in her direction, hitting her in the stomach. Machine fell to the ground and it actually felt good to see her like that after what she's done to me. Then things started to speed up around me. Flamebird went to see if Machine was fine because, well, she was a fire expert herself. In the meantime, Savage went savage and ran to me, tackling me. I fell flat on my back and when I opened my eyes, I had to react as fast as possible. Savage was laying on top of me and in each hand, he held a dagger. I grabbed his wrists, so he wouldn't be able to cut me.

"Savage, stop it!" I yelled out. I saw a ferocious look in his eyes and then I realized that if Machine had been influencing me, she sure did the same with Chameleon and Savage. "This isn't you. Machine's controlling your emotions. She's making you so violent!" The evil grin on his face grew even wider as he shook his head.

"Who said she was ever allowed to get into my head?" I looked confused at him. "Some people are just mentally stronger than others, flamethrower." His words got me distracted and the daggers came closer to me. I was thinking too much about his words: he's doing what he's doing out of free will and Machine never got into his head. Off course, he was older and maybe more mentally stable than I was. Anyway, Savage grew stronger (or I grew weaker) and the daggers came closer to me.

I was saved by a miracle. Savage was pushed off of me and the daggers were out of range. I turned my head to my savior, thanking Titanio for finally showing up, but it seemed like I had been a little too soon to thank the hero, because the only hero in this room was still Mr. Quick. Machine had pushed Savage off of me, I think with the help of a psychic attack, and now she was looking with the same ferocity I had seen in Savage's eyes. I guessed she wanted to finish me off herself for what I've done (which was simply 'breaking up' with her).

Before I could do anything, she was faster. I still was laying on the ground, but she hurt me more than I could have ever imagined. I had seen her do it before and I had seen the victims suffer and I had never imagined it would ever happen to me. And yet, right now, it felt like there was a bomb exploding in my head. No wait, let's say ten bombs. And then that pain multiplied by one hundred thousand times. Then you know how it felt when Machine attacked me.

She remained silent while I just screamed out in pain and grasped my head. If there was something to end the pain with, I would've done it. That might've been the only point in my life where I was desperate enough to end my life if I had the means, and only to end the pain Machine induced me. I couldn't think straight anymore and the only words on my mind (which I repeated out loud) were 'make it stop please', not necessarily in that order. She didn't seem to hear it, didn't care about what happened to me.

This is it, I thought, this is the end. If Machine would stop her psychic attacks, I would still lay there for at least ten minutes, and I wouldn't be doing anything to protect me. Everyone, even Chameleon, would have a chance to kill me – and after shooting fire at Machine, they will want to kill me.

With every plea that left my mouth, the pain intensified. At this moment, I know Machine just intensifies the power she puts in the attack when someone begs. At that moment I didn't think of it because I didn't think of anything but the pain and those four simple words.

I was saved by a second miracle. This time, the heroes did arrive. Titanio, Solar Flare, the Dark Warrior, all coming to save me. And maybe also the unconscious hero on the ground, but I was the one who contacted them. And they could clearly see Machine attacking me, so I was the victim here. They wouldn't attack me, rather the three villains in this room.

Machine looked at her side, but the pain remained. Only when the Dark Warrior was about to knock her unconscious, she had to focus on him instead of me. I felt like I was reborn, like I had lived in the dark for all my life and saw the light for the first time. It was such a relief not to feel that pain anymore. I panted like I just made the finish line after running a marathon, but I was glad my head didn't feel like it was gonna explode anymore.

I had time to look around. Solar Flare and Flamebird were caught in combat, Machine was doing a great job defending herself from the Dark Warrior and Savage had managed to get Titanio on the ground, and with that suit it was hard to get back up. That meant that Savage had enough time to get to me and finish the job.

I had been able to crawl to the wall and sit up straight. Savage knelt before me and looked me in the eyes with his most evil grin. He was enjoying the moment, even though he could be taken down at any moment. He took one of the daggers from a pocket, one I had never seen before (na dI'm pretty familiar with his arsenal).

"I guess I could just plunge it into your chest, but what's fun about that?" He said, "No, you need to suffer. So let me put it here, okay?" He then hit me in the shoulder and he left it there. In a reflex, my hand grabbed the dagger, even if I wouldn't pull it out. Savage smiled at me. "I hope you enjoy your last moments in…"

He could never finish his sentence. Titanio somehow had gotten up on his feet and knocked Savage into the wall next to me. He fell on his stomach and didn't get up immediately. When I glanced around, I could see that Machine and Flamebird, too, were unconscious. Chameleon hadn't showed his face here since I scared him away. The heroes had won and for the first time, I was actually glad they had. Titanio came up to me and looked at me.

"Are you okay, kid?" He called me a kid? Dude, I'm twenty-four! I'm not a child anymore. I would've said it if I hadn't had that dagger stuck in my shoulder. Then I'm reminded of Savage's look of satisfaction when he had put the dagger in my shoulder, as if it was something he had wanted to do for a long, long time. The only thing I could think of was the poisonous daggers he…

Shit. He poisoned me, and I've been told (and I've seen) the poison works quite fast. "Savage…" I began, and I realized how hard it was to speak in full sentences now. Man, that really worked fast. "Poison…" I managed to add. They've seen more cases of poison inflicted by Savage. They would know how to save my life.

My vision started to blur, but if I blinked more than I usually did, it stayed pretty clear to me. Titanio stood with his back to me now, while he was having a conversation with Solar Flare and the Dark Warrior. "Have you called Fred yet?" Titanio asked.

"Yes. He'll be here soon to pick up Mr. Quick," Solar Flare confirmed.

"Change of plans. We need to take him with us. Savage poisoned him." Titanio then said.

"Are you serious?" the Dark Warrior said, "The guy's a villain. Do you really want to bring him into the hospital?"

"Without him, we wouldn't have known about this place and which of the heroes are evil," Titanio said, "Besides, aren't we heroes? We save lives. And his life needs to be saved right now." There were three seconds of silence.

"Fine!" the Dark Warrior then said, "But I'm not gonna explain to Fred why we're having a second patient, a villain no less." As the conversation continued, the volume of their voices went down, so I really need to focus on listening to their conversation to actually be able to hear anything. Titanio came back to me.

"You're gonna be okay," he told me, "An ambulance is coming." I nodded in response. At that point, I had no time to think of the fact that I hadn't been wearing my mask, but the Dark Warrior still knew I was a villain. I'd have to confront Titanio about that later, but not now. Right now, I was trying not to die.

The poison was too strong and no minute after Titanio assured me I would be fine, I already felt like I was slipping away. Titanio must've noticed it, because he gently grabbed my shoulder (not the one with the dagger) and said something to me. I didn't understand what he was saying (just that he was talking) and my vision was getting blurrier with every passing second.

The last thing I felt before I closed my eyes was how two robotic hands lifted me from the ground and brought me somewhere. I had no idea where, because three seconds after they picked me up, I lost consciousness.


	7. Horace Diaz

**Hey guys! Here's the seventh chapter, which also is the last chapter of this short story. I'd like to thank those who read it and reviewed. I can tell you I probably won't be writing a sequel, but I will be writing more for Mighty Med soon. I'd already like to thank everyone who followed, favorited, read and reviewed the story for doing those things. For now, here's the last chapter of the Incinerator - but first, let's go to the reviews:**

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Kenny has no idea how Machine does it, but she can be extremely persuasive at times. I can't say anything about Mr. Quick's condition, but Horace in this chapter may help you answer that question._

 _TKDP:_ _What can I say? When Machine sees something she likes, she takes it and the same happened to Kenny. Or is he? Maybe Machine was influencing that coward as well? We'll never know. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. He loved Bianca, but he felt lust for Machine. Love i stronger than lust, anyway. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _EmeraldTulip:_ _Thanks for reviewing! And I really thought about the choice of songs. I spend one hour trying to find the perfect songs for every member of Machine's crew, including Kenny's. You can find his song on my profile._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _My name is Kenny Gordon and I don't know how this ends. I seriously have no idea what'll happen next. But I do know that I didn't come out of my latest fight unchanged. I'm finally free from Machine's influence, which means I can be who I wanted to be, who I was meant to be. There is one thing that didn't change. I'm still human flamethrower – I'm not ready to put them down yet. I'll still be the Incinerator. But who will I be when I have always been what Machine wanted me to be?_

* * *

My whole body was sore, but I wasn't feeling any pain. As soon as I could feel my body again, it still took me a lot of time to start any brain activity. Once that was functioning well enough, I guess I started to take in more and more. I was laying on my back in a bed. There was a blanket covering me up until my neck and something was separately covering my head. There was almost no sound wherever I was laying, nothing but the occasional beep and other machinery. I didn't smell anything particular, so I guessed that was a good sign. At least the place didn't stink.

When I had gathered enough energy, I forced my eyes open. No, I didn't wake up in a bright white room – though it was a hospital room. The walls were light grayish and when I looked around, I noticed the tech in this hospital room seemed to be quite futuristic. There was a sink in one of the corners – I had no idea why it as just a sink and nothing else. With all these clues, you'd think I had an idea where I was. I hadn't.

Also, my memory was failing me. I remembered everything that happened the past few days, but after Machine started talking to me at the police station… nothing. The harder I tried to remember, the more I had a feeling I would never know why I was in this hospital room and how I got here. Something bad must've happened. That brings me to the point that I had no idea where I was. I had never been here before, so off course I had no idea where I was.

I stayed in bed. I took in every detail of the room, including the several wires on my body going to the machines. I decided to let them be there for now – they were there for a reason and I didn't want to get in trouble with whoever was taking care of me. I was alone and there were no windows. I had to keep myself occupied by thinking and thinking and trying to remember. I didn't say anything out loud, didn't move too much. I had no idea how much energy I had, but I did know I needed to save it for a moment I needed it.

The moment came later than I hoped. I waited hours for someone to come in. It could've been just one hour, but there was no clock in this room. At least it felt like hours. Anyway, when I was getting really bored, someone came into my room. It was a guy I had never seen before. He wore a white lab coat with this place's logo sewed on it. He held a clipboard in one hand, he had opened the door with another. He turned his head in my direction and stared for a few seconds when he realized I was staring back. His hair was combed neatly and a weird beard like Iron Man's (don't know the name, not gonna bother looking it up – just a boring detail anyway. You wanna hear about me, not about some guy's weird beard.).

"You're awake." He stated. I nodded and wanted to say 'yes', but there came no sound. Only then I realized how dry my throat was.

"Can I get something to drink?" I said. I guess the guy must've understand the words 'get' and 'drink', because those were the only ones I could understand when I heard me saying them out loud. The doctor got the hint and got me a glass of water from the sink. He put it to my mouth and I drank it. As soon as the water went into my body, I needed and wanted more and more until I couldn't drink anymore. Unfortunately, the doctor wouldn't let me.

"Easy, easy," he said as he pulled the glass of water away from me. I glared at him for doing that. I tried to talk and found that my voice was still a little hoarse, but at least I could have a proper conversation with the doctor. "So, how are you?" he then asked me.

"Who the heck are you?" I said. It wasn't too loud, but still loud enough for him to hear me. No way I was gonna tell him, a total stranger, how I was feeling. I didn't trust him at all. Must be that weird beard.

"Where are my manners?" the doctor then said, "My name is doctor Horace Diaz. I'm the chief of staff here." Horace Diaz. I didn't know the name. Didn't know the dude either. And I still didn't trust him. I mean, who has that kind of beard? Doesn't it take a lot of effort to shave it in that particular shape? "So, how are you?"

"Could've been better," I then said.

"I want to be honest with you," Horace began, "It is a miracle you are still alive."

"Excuse me?"

"We have always known that Savage's poison works faster on Normos and…" I glared at him, he just sighed in an annoyed manner. "You've been here for nine days, we noticed the flamethrowers." Shit, he knew I was a Normo. That was my first thought. My second thought was: I've been here for nine days?

Then everything came back to me. Machine, Savage, Chameleon. Flamebird and Mr. Quick. The daggers in my leg and shoulder. The pain I've felt, inflicted by both Savage and Machine. The poison Savage had always wanted to use on me. And now, nine days later, I was here, in a hospital. Then I also remembered what Machine had done to me the past five years. I am again reminded of the good-hearted doctor in my room. was it because of Machine that I distrusted him?

"Anyway," Horace continued, "he gave you an overdose. Normally, the heroes spend four to five days in a coma, but we didn't want to give up hope when you didn't wake up. I am so glad to see you alive."

I'm glad to be alive either, even if it took me nine days to recover. I was given a new chance to live. I could leave the crew behind. I could start over. but what would that be?

I'd find that answer someday. There were much easier questions which could be answered by asking what the answer was. "How did I get here?" I asked him with a demanding tone, "Where am I?" Horace smiled at me and gave me the answer I wanted.

"Titanio did not only bring Mr. Quick here, but brought you here, too. And 'here' is one of the most secret departments of the Mighty Med. That means that everyone knows it exists, but few know its exact location. This is for the Normos who get injured in battle." Before my mind registered the entire answer, my brain focused on the first part too much, specifically on Mr. Quick, the evil hero who was brought to this place.

"He brought Mr. Quick here?" I then reacted, "But he's evil! As is Skylar Storm and Tecton and…"

"Calm down, Incinerator," he said to calm me down, as if there was nothing to fear, but there was. What if that guy had powers? He probably had them. That meant that he too could be on the dark side. He continued, "That problem is solved. The evil heroes are the good guys again. The Annihilator is dead." I let the news sink in. The Annihilator is dead? A villain has been killed? It rarely happened that someone like me – I mean, that a villain got himself killed. Same went for heroes. But it happened from time to time. The fans are never happy when it happens, especially if it's a villain as powerful as the Annihilator.

Then I was reminded of two specific words Horace had said earlier: might and med. "Wait a minute, Mighty Med?" I then said. I must've sounded like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner, "The superhero hospital? but I am a villain." _Or are you?_ My mind contradicted me. I was a villain, yes, but will I be in the future? Only time will tell. For now, let's say I'm a guy with flamethrowers who decides to stay neutral.

Horace had a long answer ready, one I didn't want to listen to but wanted to hear. It's confusing, right? Well, that's how I felt about my current allegiance. "Titanio told me you were being attacked when he arrived and you weren't wearing your mask. You also have defended yourself from and fought against villains, which are reasons enough to have you treated here." He gave me the time to process the words. I was seen as a victim here, and not as a villain. Good. Horace soon continued. "The poison's out of your body, but it will still take some hours before you're fine. Once you're fit again, press the button and a doctor will escort you out."

"What?" That was my first and only reaction. I must be annoying the doctor to no end, but he didn't show that I was annoying him. He answered my question patiently.

"Titanio told me you were helping him to find the evil heroes. You found them, so he will keep his end of the deal. You will be a free man." I didn't say anything in response. Horace left in silence, giving me more than enough time to think about it. I had completely forgotten about Titanio's offer. I was so glad I didn't have to go to prison. I didn't have to hunt evil heroes anymore because there were no evil heroes anymore, but I still could do as I pleased.

I began to see the more positive side of it. He was giving me a second change, a shot at redemption. Did he know about the damage Machine inflicted on me these past years? This could be exactly what I needed. I could be a Normo for a while, or never pick up those flamethrowers again. off course it would take a while before I'd be able to put them down, but it would be a big step forward. I could start a life, a real life. Get a job and earn money the right way. Take care of Bianca and stay with her – I wouldn't have a dangerous job that could potentially kill her.

Yet, that was a future I couldn't imagine right now. I'd need time to figure out what it is that I want. Who knew, maybe that's what Machine wanted me to want. I couldn't be sure about anything anymore.

That's enough talk about my future and Machine's influence, back to the room. It took another five hours before I could stand on my legs. I had put on my suit and mask so I'd be ready to walk out of the hospital once the doctor came. I also pressed the button to tell the doctors I was ready to leave. About ten minutes later, this doctor came in.

My heart did a double take. It was a kid, a teenage boy, which made me question why the chief of staff would have hired him, and how he rolled into this in the first place. I recognized the hair, the eyes, the face. He was a lot taller than the last time I've seen him, right before I committed the crime that brought me to this weird universe. I wondered how he earned his white lab coat. He looked a little nervous when he saw me, but he couldn't be more shocked than I was.

"Kaz?" That's the name of one of my younger brothers. The doctor that had just walked in was that brother of mine. He looked up, surprised that I addressed him with his name. He must've heard the surprise in my voice and I wondered if he recognized it.

"You know my name?" Kaz began, "That is… awesome!" I rolled my eyes. That used to be his catchphrase to everything five years ago. Apparently, he still said it sometimes. His reaction made clear that he didn't know about me. And then there was the sudden need to tell him who I was. I haven't seen him in five years and he didn't recognize me. I wanted to talk to one of my family members. I never felt the need to make contact with them – Machine made me think I didn't need them and they didn't want me – and now I had a chance to do so.

"Off course I know your name." I then said. I had to introduce myself carefully. I didn't want to be a bad role model. He ended up in this hospital for a reason and I didn't want him to turn that reason into bad intentions. "What do you know about me?" I then asked. "Don't give too much info, just the big lines."

Kaz seemed to be taken aback by the question, but he answered it anyway. He opened up after figuring out I wasn't dangerous and didn't attempt to kill him at the spot. "You're the Incinerator, started out as a villain duo with Machine, but it eventually grew and you, Machine, Savage and Chameleon formed Machine's crew. You often left, but always came back. You love her, maybe loved her, since you did attack her in the latest issue. I have to admit, you shocked a lot of fans when you shot fire at Machine."

"She deserved it," was my only reaction. "Do you know my name?"

"Your name is Kenny," he said, "At least, they sometimes referred to you by that name. I don't know if it's your real name, though." I sighed. This was the moment. Was I ready? Sure was. But was Kaz?

"It is my name," I said and his eyes widened. This must be the first time someone revealed it was his name. Some people choose to go by fictional names, so when they walk over the street as, for example, Mikey Harper, those who read comic books who meet him won't think about the hero whose alias is Michael Harrison. I know Henry Tidwell doesn't do this. I'll still pay him a visit soon.

"Kaz, listen up. I'm gonna tell you something I've never told anyone before." I could see he was staring at me, waiting for me to reveal a secret that most likely had never been published and mentioned in the comic books: my name.

Then, as I had no idea how to tell my brother, I just pulled my mask off my face. I almost laughed at my brother's reaction. He almost fell to his knees and his mouth dropped open. I looked at him with a forced smile on my face, though the 'fake' part could soon be discarded. It was so funny, the way he now recognized me.

"Kenny!?" He reacted, "My brother's the Incinerator!?" He could barely believe his own words, I guess. The look in his eyes did show some great disbelief. I hated that I had to immediately contradict him.

" _Was_ the Incinerator." I emphasized the first words and I could immediately see the disappointed look in his eyes.

"Was?" was his reaction. I guess he hoped that I was joking, that I would tell him I wasn't really going to stop being the bad guy.

"I'm gonna quit," I said. His jaw dropped again. He was disappointed, shocked, and maybe some others, too. I couldn't blame him, though. He just learned his brother, me, is a part of the world he loved so much, only to then hear that he is going to stop for an unknown reason.

"No," He said, shaking his head, "you can't quit!" In response, I shook my head.

"I'm gonna retire," I replied and looked him in the eye, "that sounds way more positive than quitting, am I right? Anyway, I'm gonna retire." Kaz didn't give up, though. He was just as determined and stubborn as I was, trying to convince me to do otherwise.

"Why do you want to retire?" he shouted it, sounding quite angry. I knew he wasn't. Call it my brother instinct, "You're awesome! How did you even get powers? Why would you ever want to give up a life like that?" Wow, I had played my role so well, even my own brother didn't know about the flamethrowers. I guessed he hadn't come in my room during the nine days I was here.

"Because it was a life I might have never even wanted." I answered his question. I could see that was not the answer he had expected and remained quiet, silently asking me to explain why it could be something I 'might have never wanted'. "You know my career and Machine's quite persuasive. Recently, I discovered she influenced my everything: the way I felt, what I wanted to do, almost everything. Because of her, I'm where I am today. But I'm sure that this is not what I wanted five years ago when we first met. Didn't want to be one of the bad guys." It actually felt good, hearing myself say that out loud. I knew I did not want to continue to be one of the bad guys, I would never go back there. Never out of free will, off course.

"So? If you don't want to be one of the bad guys, be one of the good guys." Kaz made it sound so simple, so easy, while in fact it wasn't. I sighed in annoyance.

"That's the problem! I can't be one of the good guys! I've spent way too much time with her. I guess she changed that part of me permanently. Can't be a good guy, but don't want to be a bad guy either." I sat down on the bed. There was no other option for me, was there? I'd be stuck longing back to the exciting and adventurous life while I would have no idea what to do if I ever returned to that life.

Luckily, Kaz was still here. He may not fully understand the situation, but he still was rather helpful in these kind of situations. As if he faced these kind of problems, like my identity crisis, every day he was here.

"Then why don't you become an anti-hero?" He said as he sat next to me. I didn't look at him, but listened to every word he said. "Those guys do whatever they want to help people and what they do can be compared to the ferocity villains use, but they do it for a good cause, off course. But, if you decide to do that, don't you turn into a Dark Warrior 2.0! One guy like him is already bad to work with."

I nodded. That could be something to be considered. An anti-hero… maybe that's what I could be, but that wasn't for me to decide now. Well, I could decide whenever I want, but I still was afraid she was influencing me, even at that moment. I didn't want to risk it.

"One question: how'd you end up here anyway?" I asked. I wanted, no, needed to know that answer. You all know by now how I ended up in this crazy world, but I had no idea how someone like Kaz could have become a doctor in one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world.

"That's classified." He said. We looked at each other and laughed. We had no idea why we laughed. I did enjoy it, laughing with my brother about something. Maybe we did it because he sounded and looked so serious when he said it, while we both know it isn't classified information and he can't be serious for too long.

"Anyway," he eventually said with a big smile on his face, "it's time for you to go. You coming?"

"Yes, I am," I said and told myself that, whatever would happen, I'd take the time to get to know my brother again, also because he was the only one I could share my most secret and darkest secrets with. "We have a lot of catching up to do," I then said and Kaz nodded. We both stood up and walked to the door.

"Yes, we have," He said "But first: what are you gonna do?" I shook my head, also smiling wide.

"I'll tell you when I know," I replied. I needed some time to think through my decision, to spend time as a civilian, to take the time to build up a relationship and then to decide what I wanted to do. After all, I'm an adult and I am more than capable of making my own choices. Well, I'm a little skeptical about the adult part, but other than that, I guess that latest sentence was through. "So, are you still friends with that Pyne kid?" I asked.

We chatted until we had walked out of the hospital. I learned the room I was in was one hidden behind a cafeteria wall. Kaz explained to me why nobody would ever think of a room behind that wall. I wondered how a hospital, out of all places, could have such disgusting food. He dropped me off at the patients' exit and I continued my way to my lair, though I guess I could start calling it my house no I decided not to be a bad guy anymore. I needed to find a real home. To do that, I had to make money, find a job and do much more. I needed to become a regular Normo.

I reminded myself of the bright near future that would be waiting for me to do what I, and I alone, wanted to do. I greeted the future as an old friend I didn't want to work for in the first place. And who knows, maybe that future included me and Bianca living under the same roof, perhaps even with little kids running around.

My name is Kenny Gordon and I am – or I was – the Incinerator, one of the few Normo villains to have made it. I don't know what my own feelings are and which ones aren't, but I do know which thoughts I have to avoid. Machine almost turned me into a monster, but I could stop her before she made me murder someone. I just blame myself for not noticing it sooner, but that's the past, and I only want to see the future at this moment.

My name is Kenny Gordon and I don't know what I want to be or who I really am. In fact, I still don't know. But there's one thing I know for sure: I'm the Incinerator and things are going to change, for the better or the worse.

* * *

 _ **The end**_


	8. Announcement

**Hello everyone! I'm back with an AN and Kenny has a small message for y'all...**

* * *

Hey guys! It's me again, Kenny. Listen, I've debated about this a lot and I think I'm finally ready to let you guys know part two of my epic and sad story. That's right, there's a sequel coming up! It should be uploaded by now, but I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, there'll be more of me, just not in this... archive, right? Is that what you call it? Whatever it is, not here. If you go to "TV" and then go to "Lab Rats: Elite Force", you'll find it. It should be somewhere in that list, with the same title (just one minor difference) and still the same writer. What can you expect:

-more drama

-one familiar face

-five other, more familiar faces

-higher stakes (I guess)

-more of me!

Well, that's all for now. After reading those reactions on my redemption story (I totally agree with all of them) I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing me suffer again. (Oops, spoiler!) Anyway, see you there! Bye!


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